A center of circulation began to consolidate inside an area of thunderstorms south of the Gulf of Tehuantepec on Tuesday and the National Hurricane Center designated the system as Tropical Storm Patricia.  At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday the center of Tropical Storm Patricia was located at latitude 13.1°N and longitude 95.3°W which put it about 220 miles (355 km) south-southeast of Puerto Escondido, Mexico.  Patricia was moving toward the west-southwest at 5 m.p.h. (8 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 40 m.p.h. (65 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 50 m.p.h. (80 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 1004 mb.

The circulation of Tropical Storm Patricia was still organizing on Tuesday.  A cluster of thunderstorms formed northeast of the center of circulation earlier on Tuesday, but those storms weakened during recent hours.  A primary rainband extends around the western and southern side of the circulation.  However, there is not much convection northwest of the center of circulation.

Tropical Storm Patricia is over water where the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) is near 30°C.  An upper level ridge surrounds Patricia and it should produce light winds near the tropical storm.  Warm SSTs and little vertical wind shear should allow for intensification.  However, closer to the surface northerly winds blowing across the Gulf of Tehuantepec could be transporting some drier air toward the western side of the circulation.  The drier air could explain the current lack of thunderstorms in that part of Patricia.  Over time the favorable large scale environment should allow for intensification and Patricia could eventually become a hurricane.

A ridge of high pressure north of Patricia is steering the tropical storm toward the west.  That steering motion is expected to continue for another day or so.  When Patricia reaches the western end of the ridge, it will turn toward the north.  Patricia could be approaching the western coast of Mexico on Friday and it could be a hurricane at that time.