Hurricane Fern (2019)

Hurricane Fern was the sixth named storm, third hurricane, and second major hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season. Forming from a tropical wave on September 12, Fern quickly organized within weak steering currents in the Bay of Campeche. By September 14, Fern reached hurricane status and began to undergo rapid deepening. After this period of intensification, Fern attained its peak intensity with winds of 140 miles per hour (220 km/h) and a barometric pressure of 938 mbar (hPa; 27.7 inHg) during September 16. Early the next day, the storm made landfall in northern Mexico near Matamoros, Tampuilas as a Category 3 hurricane. Weakening increased rapidly, and Fern became a tropical depression 20 about hours after moving inland. The remnants of the storm dissipated during the early morning of September 18 over north-central Mexico.

The storm made landfall as a major hurricane in in the farthest northeastern reaches of Mexico, a little over a year after Hurricane Clarice did so. However, Fern traveled directly over the city of Matamoros, leading to widespread damage here and in the neighboring city of Brownsville, Texas. Outside of this area, damage was moderate; with rainfall reaching up to 11 inches (279.4 mm) in some areas. Overall, the storm caused $1.2 billion in damages (with $900,000 occurring in Mexico for a cost of $17,754,030,000 MXN) and killed 24 people.

## **Meteorological History**

Fern developed from a tropical wave that exited the west coast of Africa on September 1. Little activity was attributed to the wave as it traveled across the Atlantic, until it entered the Caribbean sea. Despite the presence of wind shear that normally inhibits convection, organization increased within the wave. Curving around the periphery of the northern Yucatan Peninsula, the tropical wave entered the Bay of Campeche on September 12, where it was declared Tropical Depression Six. A reconnaissance flight confirmed 40 mph winds within the system twelve hours thereafter, promoting the system's upgrade to a tropical storm, receiving the name *Fern* upon doing so. The tropical storm moved north at a modest pace into the Gulf of Mexico, and the wind shear which had inhibited significant development eased, allowing for deep convection to develop. By 0600 UTC on September 14, Fern had strengthened into a hurricane.

Gradual strengthening continued into September 15, by which the storm attained Category 2 strength. That evening, Fern began to undergo rapid intensification as a well-defined eye developed. On the morning of September 16, Fern attained its peak intensity as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 140 miles per hour (220 km/h) and a barometric pressure of 938 mbar (hPa; 27.7 inHg). Shortly thereafter, an upper-level trough to the west of the storm began to erode its cloud pattern.

Late on August 22, Fern turned northwestward in response to a mid-tropospheric ridge over the Gulf of Mexico and a mid-tropospheric circulation over the Rio Grande Valley. Several hours before landfall, the hurricane weakened to Category 3 intensity and its forward motion slowed. Around 8:00 pm EST (0100 UTC), Fern's eye passed over Playa Bagdad in northern Tamaulipas as a minimal Category 3 hurricane, signifying its landfall. The hurricane rapidly weakened upon moving inland, and roughly 12 hours after landfall, Fern weakened to a tropical storm. It further degenerated into a tropical depression by the morning of September 18, and dissipated shortly thereafter.

## **Preparations**

Starting on September 12, while Fern was still located north the Yucatan Peninsula, the government of Mexico issued a tropical storm watch for the Gulf Coast from the city of Veracruz northward to Soto la Marina, Tamaulipas. By September 14, it was upgraded to a tropical storm warning and extended northward to Matamoros, although the initial watch area was placed under a hurricane watch after Fern showed signs of strengthening. The next day, the tropical storm watch from Soto La Marina to Veracruz was discontinued while the watch involving Matamoros was upgraded to a hurricane warning as it became clearer where Fern would make landfall. Prior to impact, several ports along the Gulf Coast halted their operations, and people living in risk zones were evacuated. All warnings and watches were discontinued after the hurricane moved inland.

Along the coast of Texas, tropical storm watches were issued from Brownsville to Corpus Christi on September 13. These were upgraded from tropical storm to hurricane watches as Fern gained strength in the Gulf of Mexico. With its path becoming more certain, the advisories were dropped for Corpus Christi while warnings were issued for Brownsville. The Cameron, Willacy and portions of the Kennedy County coasts had evacuations ordered up to 25 miles inland, with dangerous conditions particularly expected in the Brownsville area. This order resulted in the movement of 50,000 people from the warning area. President Donald Trump declared a federal state of emergency in south Texas in anticipation of the storm's approach.

## **Aftermath**

Despite the destructive impacts from the storm, the name *Fern* was not retired, and will be used again in the 2025 season. It was one of the costliest hurricanes that primarily impacted Mexico.