Tropical Depression Thirteen-E Strengthens to Tropical Storm Lane

Former Tropical Depression Thirteen-E strengthened to Tropical Storm Lane during Friday night.  At 5:00 a.m. EDT on Saturday the center of Tropical Storm Lane was located at latitude 11.1°N and longitude 129.5°W which put the center about 1525 miles (2455 km) west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California.  Lane was moving toward the west at 7 m.p.h. (11 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 1005 mb.

The circulation around formed Tropical Depression Thirteen-E strengthened during Friday night and the U.S. National Hurricane center designated the system as Tropical Storm Lane.  The distribution of thunderstorms in Tropical Storm Lane was asymmetrical.  The inner end of a band of thunderstorms wrapped around the northern side of the center of Lane’s circulation.  Bands in the southern side of Tropical Storm Lane consisted primarily of showers and lower clouds.  Storms near the center of Lane generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away to the east of the tropical storm.

The strongest winds in Tropical Storm Lane were occurring in the band of thunderstorms north of the center of circulation.  Winds to tropical storm force were occurring out to 45 miles (75 km) in the northern side of Lane’s circulation.  The winds in the southern side of Tropical Storm Lane were blowing at less than tropical storm force.

Tropical Storm Lane will move through an environment that will be only marginally favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours.  Lane will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 28°C.  It will move under the southeastern part of an upper trough east of Hawaii.  The upper level ridge will produce southwesterly winds that will blow toward the top of Lane’s circulation.  Those winds will cause the vertical wind shear to increase.  The wind shear will inhibit intensification, but Tropical Storm Lane could intensify a little more during the next 12 hours.  The upper level trough will cause the vertical wind shear to increase even more on Sunday, which will cause Lane to weaken

Tropical Storm Lane will move south of a high pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean.  The high pressure system will steer the Lane toward the west during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, Tropical Storm Lane will move remain far from any land areas.