Hurricane Dale

Hurricane Dale was the fourth named tropical storm and second hurricane of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season. It was a relatively weak storm that, while only peaking in strength as a Category 1 hurricane for a short period of time, caused severe flooding and mudslides in the Central American countries of Guatemala and El Salvador as well as in southern Mexico which has led to at least 967 deaths, with many more reported missing and feared dead.

Meteorological history
The origin of Hurricane Dale can be traced to a tropical wave that moved off the western African coast on July 4. Unfavorable conditions initially prohibited tropical cyclogenesis, with the wave remaining disorganized until reaching the eastern Caribbean Sea.

Dale continued through the Bay during July 8, gradually gaining strength while doing so. In the early morning hours of July 9, Dale had strengthened enough to be upgraded to hurricane status. It made landfall later that morning on the east coast of Mexico, north of Veracruz, as a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale, then weakened to a tropical storm early that afternoon.

Hurricane Dale's ability to create havoc in the mountainous regions of southern Mexico and Central America due to landslides and flooding meant that the Jarrell Meteorological Center did not stop issuing advisories on it until July 10 at 1000 UTC.

The storm produced landslides, flooding, and high winds throughout its path in eastern Mexico and Central America, as upwards of 34 inches (863 mm) of rain was reported which has led to the destruction. Most of the destructive floods were a result of the outer bands of Dale, as well as when it was still a tropical depression.

Preparations
Upon the formation of a tropical cyclone, the government of Mexico issued a tropical storm warning for the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, extending from Chetumal northward to Cabo Catoche. Officials opened shelters and ordered the evacuation of low-lying areas along the storm's projected path. Areas in northern Quintana Roo were already under martial law to prevent looters and restore order following the passage of Hurricane Clarice, and many residents of these areas had not yet been allowed to return home. Along the Mexican Gulf Coast, the states of Campeche and Tabasco initially posted yellow alerts and soon upgraded them to orange alerts. Several shelters were also opened near flood-prone areas within these states. The government of the Veracruz issued a red alert as Dale approached the state's coastline; eight municipalities were placed under mandatory coastal evacuation orders, affecting nearly half a million residents. Pemex evacuated its facilities on the Gulf of Mexico that were located in Dale's path.

The threat of a devastating wind event was not considered a likely possibility due to the tropical depression (that would become Dale) developing in such close proximity to land, and most of the nations that suffered the worst impacts from Dale did not enact precautionary measures in preparation for the burgeoning tropical system except for Belize, which had been brushed by Hurricane Clarice earlier in the week. There, a tropical storm watch was placed for the coast of northern Belize, from Belize City to the Belize–Mexico border. A voluntary evacuation order for 65,000 people living along the coast was also issued, just days after many residents returned to their homes following the passage of the earlier storm.

Impact
Around the time of Dale's existence, torrential rainstorms dropped upwards of 34 inches (863 mm) of rain, causing severe flash floods, mud slides, and crop damage over portions of Mexico and Central America, including Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Most of the rainstorms were non-tropical in nature and impossible to relate to the hurricane; however, the impact of the larger weather system can be considered as a whole.

Hundreds were reported missing and were feared dead throughout the region. One estimate put the death toll above 2,000 in Guatemala alone. The final death toll will likely never be known due to the extensive decomposition of bodies in the mud, as well as the passage of Hurricane Clarice in the affected areas just a week later.

Most of the reported fatalities were as a result of the flooding and mudslides throughout the region. A large portion of the figure comes from one village alone, as a mudslide completely destroyed the village of Tzununá in Guatemala's Sololá department.

Mexico
The precursor system to Dale brought torrential rainfall and gusty winds to parts of the Yucatan Peninsula. Flash flooding took place in several areas; however, no loss of life was reported.