page_title: Hurricane Raymond (2013)
section_title: Meteorological history
hierarchical_section_title: Hurricane Raymond (2013) / Meteorological history
caption_attribution_description: English: Track map of Hurricane Raymond of the 2013 Pacific hurricane season. The points show the location of the storm at 6-hour intervals. The colour represents the storm's maximum sustained wind speeds as classified in the Saffir–Simpson scale (see below), and the shape of the data points represent the nature of the storm, according to the legend below. Saffir–Simpson scale Tropical depression≤38 mph≤62 km/h Category 3111–129 mph178–208 km/h Tropical storm39–73 mph63–118 km/h Category 4130–156 mph209–251 km/h Category 174–95 mph119–153 km/h Category 5≥157 mph≥252 km/h Category 296–110 mph154–177 km/h Unknown Storm type Tropical cyclone Subtropical cyclone Extratropical cyclone / Remnant low / Tropical disturbance / Monsoon depression
context_page_description: Hurricane Raymond was the only major hurricane in the eastern Pacific in 2013 and briefly threatened the southwestern coast of Mexico before recurving back out to sea. The seventeenth named storm and eighth hurricane of the annual cyclone season, Raymond developed from a tropical wave on October 20 south of Acapulco, Mexico. Within favorable conditions for tropical cyclone development, Raymond quickly intensified, attaining tropical storm intensity and later hurricane intensity within a day of cyclogenesis. On October 21, the hurricane reached its peak intensity with winds of 125 mph. A blocking ridge forced the hurricane to the southwest, while at the same time Raymond began to quickly weaken due to wind shear. The following day, the tropical cyclone weakened to tropical storm status. After tracking westward, Raymond reentered more favorable conditions, allowing it to intensify back to hurricane strength on October 27 while curving northward. The hurricane reached a secondary peak intensity with winds of 105 mph several hours later.
context_section_description: The area of disturbed weather that led to the formation of Hurricane Raymond was initially discernible as a broad area of low pressure in association with disorganized convection—shower and thunderstorm activity—near Central America on October 17, 2013. Tracking west to west-northwestward, environmental conditions were expected to be conducive for the development of a tropical cyclone and the system was quickly given a medium chance of development within a five-day interval by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) accordingly. Over the subsequent 48 hours, convective activity steadily increased and organized while the low-pressure center became better defined, prompting the NHC to raise formation chances to the high category. The system turned towards the northwest during the morning of October 19 while continuing to develop; following a combination of satellite intensity estimates and satellite images, the disturbance was upgraded to Tropical Depression Seventeen-E at 0000 UTC. Despite warming cloudtops, the overall cloud pattern of the depression improved by early the following morning and it was subsequently upgraded to a tropical storm, receiving the name Raymond, at 0600 UTC. At this time, the cyclone was positioned roughly 185 mi (300 km) south-southwest of Acapulco, Mexico.
  Following designation, Raymond continued to become better organized. Deep convection continued to increase over the circulation center while microwave imagery depicted the formative stages of an inner core. Shortly thereafter, the system began a period of rapid intensification that was described by NHC forecasters as "astounding" and "impressive". At 0000 UTC on October 21, Raymond was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane; six hours later, it was upgraded to a Category 2 hurricane as a small yet well-defined eye became obvious on both visible and infrared satellite imagery. In conjunction with satellite intensity estimates, the hurricane was upgraded to a major hurricane—a Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale—making Raymond the first of the 2013 Pacific hurricane season and the first in the West Hemisphere during 2013. Slowing to a halt, the system temporarily ceased its intensification trend as it underwent an eyewall replacement cycle. By the afternoon hours of October 21, however, the system increased in organization, noted by a more symmetric and warm eye. At 1800 UTC, Raymond attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (205 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 951 mb (hPa; 28.08 inHg). Thereafter, an increase in vertical wind shear from the south-southwest caused the system to begin a weakening trend. At 0600 UTC on October 22, Raymond was lowered to a Category 2 hurricane. That afternoon, data from an Air Force hurricane hunter aircraft indicated that the system was weaker than forecast, a low-end Category 1 hurricane. Turning west-southwest around the southern periphery of a ridge near Baja California Peninsula, Raymond weakened to a tropical storm at 0600 UTC.
  Continued wind shear on October 23 caused the low-level center to become exposed to view while large arc clouds, indicative of dry air, filled the western semicircle of the disheveled tropical cyclone. The following day, bursts of deep shower and thunderstorm activity occurred over the center; however, no change in intensity was noted. Upper-level outflow began to expand in all directions as the shear direction flipped to a southeasterly direction. Despite forecasts of intensification, Raymond failed to change much in intensity over the following 48 hours, perhaps a result of abnormally warm mid-level temperatures. By late on October 26, however, convective banding began to increase while deep convection developed over the low-level center. The cloud scene transitioned to a central dense overcast by 1200 UTC on October 27 while an eye became visible on microwave imagery; in conjunction with satellite intensity estimates, Raymond was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane once again, while positioned 725 mi (1,165 km) south-southwest
caption: Map plotting the track and the intensity of the storm, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
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