Tropical Storm Max (2023)

Tropical Storm Max was the first of four tropical cyclones to make landfall along the Pacific Coast of Mexico in October 2023. The sixteenth tropical depression and thirteenth named storm of the 2023 Pacific hurricane season, Max originated from a trough of low pressure that developed to the southwest of Central America on October 3, 2023. Showers and thunderstorms associated with the disturbance gradually became better organized over the following days as it moved west-northwestwards to the south of Mexico. The disturbance was designated Potential Tropical Cyclone Sixteen-E on October 7 by the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC), as it had not yet become a tropical cyclone but was threatening the southwestern coast of Mexico. The disturbance developed a more well-defined circulation the following day and developed into a tropical depression; the depression strengthened into a tropical storm late on October 8 and was assigned the name Max. Max progressed northward toward the coast of Mexico and quickly strengthened; the storm made landfall near Puerto Vicente, Guerrero at 18:00 UTC on October 9 just below hurricane strength. Max rapidly weakened as it moved inland across southern Mexico and dissipated the following morning over the region's mountainous terrain.

Max resulted in significant flooding and strong winds across much of the coast of southwestern Mexico. Two deaths were reported in the Mexican state of Guerrero due to the storm, while an additional two people were seriously injured. Max caused MXN$180 million (USD$10 million) in damage to Guerrero's commercial sector alone. Areas of southern Mexico affected by Max, particularly Guerrero, were severely affected by the much more powerful Hurricane Otis just two weeks after Max's landfall.