Though classified as a Category 1 hurricane, Manuel had a devastating impact: 123 lives were lost, including 97 victims of a landslide in the town of La Pintada, Guerrero. The storm also hit Coahuila, Chihuahua, and Durango, causing widespread damage. More than 59,000 people had to be evacuated, and at least 218,594 were affected. The total economic loss was estimated at $242 million USD.
On September 13, a low-pressure system off the coast of Guerrero developed into Tropical Depression Thirteen, with sustained winds of 55 km/h (34 mph) and gusts up to 75 km/h (47 mph). The system initially moved slowly northwest at 6 km/h, then stalled briefly on September 14 before turning north.
As it gained strength along the Guerrero and Michoacán coastline, Tropical Storm Manuel began to rotate, drawing in massive amounts of moisture and generating heavy cloud cover across southern and western Mexico.
On September 15 around 2:00 PM, Manuel made landfall near Manzanillo, Colima, with sustained winds of 100 km/h (62 mph) and gusts up to 130 km/h (81 mph). As it moved inland, the system weakened, and by 10:00 PM, it was downgraded to a tropical depression near El Limón, Jalisco.
By 1:00 AM on September 16, it was located 25 km northeast of Tomatlán, Jalisco, and continued to weaken. By 4:00 AM, it had re-entered the sea as a remnant low-pressure system, with winds of 45 km/h (28 mph) and gusts of 65 km/h (40 mph).
But Manuel wasn’t finished yet.
By the afternoon of September 17, about 120 km southwest of Mazatlán, Sinaloa, the system regenerated into a tropical depression. The next morning, September 18, it regained tropical storm status 160 km south-southwest of Culiacán, with winds of 65 km/h (40 mph) and gusts up to 85 km/h (53 mph).
As it continued gaining strength and entered the southern Gulf of California, Manuel intensified into a hurricane around 7:00 PM on September 18, with sustained winds of 120 km/h (75 mph) and gusts up to 150 km/h (93 mph).
It held this intensity until midday on September 19, when it made landfall in Sinaloa. Upon reaching the coast, Manuel began to weaken, and by 1:00 PM, it was downgraded to a tropical storm near Altata, Sinaloa, with winds of 100 km/h (62 mph) and gusts up to 120 km/h (75 mph).
Testimony:
“It was incredibly frustrating because we had no idea what was going on. But once the power came back on, it was even worse—we realized everything was shut down and we couldn’t leave Acapulco.”
— Esther Jiménez