Tag Archives: Baja California

Hurricane Darby Rapidly Intensifies to Cat. 2

Hurricane Darby rapidly intensified to Category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean between Mexico and Hawaii on Sunday night. At 6:00 a.m. EDT on Monday the center of Hurricane Darby was located at latitude 14.5°N and longitude 122.2°W which put it about 995 miles (1595 km) southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Darby was moving toward the west at 16 m.p.h. (26 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 105 m.p.h. (165 km/h) and and there were wind gusts to 125 m.p.h. (200 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 975 mb.

Hurricane Darby rapidly intensified on Sunday night. A circular eye with a diameter of 12 miles (19 km) was evident on infrared and microwave satellite images. The eye was surrounded by a ring of strong thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms. Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the small core of Darby’s circulation. Storms near the core generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the hurricane. Winds to hurricane force extended out 15 miles (25 km) from the center of Darby’s circulation. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 60 miles (95 km) from the center of circulation.

The circulation around Hurricane Darby was small but very symmetrical. Darby looked like a small, annular hurricane. The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Hurricane Darby was 17.8. The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 4.5 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 22.3.

Hurricane Darby will move through an environment favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours. Darby will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 28˚C. It will move through a region where the upper level winds are weak and there will be little vertical wind shear. Hurricane Darby is likely to continue to intensify during the 24 hours. Darby could strengthen to a major hurricane. The small size of the circulation around Hurricane Darby means that the intensity could continue to change rapidly if the environmental conditions change. If the inner end of a rainband wraps around the small core of Darby’s circulation, then an eyewall replacement cycle could cause fluctuations in intensity.

Hurricane Darby will move around the southern side of a high pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean. The high pressure system will steer Darby toward the west during the next 24 hours. On its anticipated track Hurricane Darby will move farther away from Baja California. Darby could cross into the Central Pacific Ocean later this week.

Darby Strengthens to a Hurricane Southwest of Baja California

Former Tropical Storm Darby strengthened to a hurricane over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean southwest of Baja California on Sunday evening. At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday the center of Hurricane Darby was located at latitude 14.6°N and longitude 120.6°W which put it about 905 miles (1455 km) southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Darby was moving toward the west at 17 m.p.h. (28 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 75 m.p.h. (120 km/h) and and there were wind gusts to 90 m.p.h. (145 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 993 mb.

Former Tropical Storm Darby strengthened to a hurricane on Sunday. A very small circular eye appeared intermittently on satellite images of Hurricane Darby. The eye was surrounded by a ring of strong thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms. Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the small core of Darby’s circulation. Storms near the core generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the hurricane. Winds to hurricane force extended out 15 miles (25 km) in the northeastern quadrant of Hurricane Darby. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 60 miles (95 km) from the center of Darby.

Hurricane Darby will move through an environment favorable for intensification during the next 36 hours. Darby will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 28˚C. It will move through a region where the upper level winds are weak and there will be little vertical wind shear. Hurricane Darby is likely to continue to intensify during the 36 hours. The small size of the circulation around Hurricane Darby means that it could change intensity rapidly if the environmental conditions change. If the inner end of a rainband wraps around the small core of Darby’s circulation, then an eyewall replacement cycle could cause fluctuations in intensity.

Hurricane Darby will move around the southern side of a high pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean. The high pressure system will steer Darby toward the west during the next 36 hours. On its anticipated track Hurricane Darby will move farther away from Baja California. Darby could cross into the Central Pacific Ocean later this week.

Tropical Storm Darby Forms South of Baja California

Tropical Storm Darby formed over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean south of Baja California on Saturday. At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday the center of Tropical Storm Darby was located at latitude 14.3°N and longitude 114.9°W which put it about 680 miles (1090 km) south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Darby was moving toward the west at 17 m.p.h. (28 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 45 m.p.h. (75 km/h) and and there were wind gusts to 60 m.p.h. (95 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 1004 mb.

A well defined low pressure system formed in a tropical wave located south of Baja California on Saturday and the National Hurricane Center designated the system as Tropical Storm Darby. A small, well defined center of circulation was evident on visible and infrared satellite images. Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the center of Darby. Storms near the center generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the tropical storm. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 35 miles (55 km) from the center of circulation.

Tropical Storm Darby will move through an environment favorable for intensification during the next 48 hours. Darby will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 28˚C. It will move through a region where the upper level winds are weak and there will be little vertical wind shear. Tropical Storm Darby will intensify during the 48 hours and it could strengthen to a hurricane.

Tropical Storm Darby will move around the southern side of a high pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean. The high pressure system will steer Darby toward the west during the next 48 hours. On its anticipated track Tropical Storm Darby will move farther away from Baja California.

Elsewhere over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean, the National Hurricane Center designated former Tropical Storm Bonnie as a Post Tropical Cyclone. At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday the center of former Tropical Storm Bonnie was located at latitude 19.5°N and longitude 129.4°W which put it about 1275 miles (2055 km) west of the southern tip of Baja California. Bonnie was moving toward the west at 21 m.p.h. (33 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 40 m.p.h. (65 km/h) and and there were wind gusts to 50 m.p.h. (80 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 1009 mb.

Bonnie Weakens to a Tropical Storm

Former Hurricane Bonnie weakened to a tropical storm as it moved over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean southwest of Baja California on Friday. At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday the center of Tropical Storm Bonnie was located at latitude 18.6°N and longitude 121.8°W which put it about 825 miles (1325 km) west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Bonnie was moving toward the west at 18 m.p.h. (30 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 65 m.p.h. (105 km/h) and and there were wind gusts to 80 m.p.h. (1305 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 998 mb.

The circulation around former Hurricane Bonnie spun down gradually as it moved over cooler water in the Eastern North Pacific southwest of Baja California. The low level circulation around Tropical Storm Bonnie was still well organized. However, thunderstorms in bands revolving around the center of Bonnie weakened. Many of the bands consisted primarily of showers and lower clouds. The remaining thunderstorms did not extend as high into the atmosphere and they did not generate much upper level divergence. The inflow of mass at the lower levels caused the surface pressure to increase, because there was not enough upper level divergence to remove the incoming mass. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 60 miles (95 km) from the center of Bonnie.

Tropical Storm Bonnie will move south of a high pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean. The high pressure system will steer Bonnie toward the west-northwest during the next 36 hours. On its anticipated track Tropical Storm Bonnie will move farther away from Baja California during the next several days.

Tropical Storm Bonnie will continue to weaken gradually during the next few days. Bonnie will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 24˚C. Tropical Storm Bonnie will not be able to extract enough energy from the upper ocean to maintain its circulation. So, the circulation will continue to spin down gradually during the next few days.

Hurricane Bonnie Churns Southwest of Baja California

Hurricane Bonnie churned over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean southwest of Baja California on Thursday night. At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday the center of Hurricane Bonnie was located at latitude 18.1°N and longitude 116.9°W which put it about 560 miles (905 km) southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Bonnie was moving toward the west at 17 m.p.h. (28 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 90 m.p.h. (145 km/h) and and there were wind gusts to 105 m.p.h. (165 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 980 mb.

Hurricane Bonnie appeared to complete an eyewall replacement cycle on Thursday. The previous small eye and eyewall was replaced by a larger eye. A circular eye with a diameter of 35 miles (55 km) was present at the center of Bonnie on Thursday night. The eye was surrounded by a ring of strong thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms. Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the core of Hurricane Bonnie. Storms near the core generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the hurricane.

The circulation around Hurricane Bonnie was still small. Winds to hurricane force extended out 25 miles (40 km) from the center of Bonnie. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 70 miles (110 km) from the center. The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Hurricane Bonnie was 13.9. The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 6.8 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 20.7.

Hurricane Bonnie will move through an environment that will be unfavorable for intensification during the next 36 hours. Bonnie will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 26˚C. It will move under the southern part of an upper level ridge over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean. The ridge will produce easterly winds that will blow toward the top of Bonnie’s circulation. Those winds will cause some vertical wind shear. The wind shear will inhibit intensification. Hurricane Bonnie is likely to weaken during the next 36 hours, as it moves over cooler water.

Hurricane Bonnie will move south of a high pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean. The high pressure system will steer Bonnie toward the west-northwest during the next 36 hours. On its anticipated track Hurricane Bonnie will move farther away from Baja California during the next several days.

Hurricane Bonnie Moves South of Baja California

Hurricane Bonnie moved south of Baja California on Wednesday afternoon. At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday the center of Hurricane Bonnie was located at latitude 16.5°N and longitude 110.1°W which put it about 440 miles (710 km) south of the southern tip of Baja California. Bonnie was moving toward the west-northwest at 11 m.p.h. (19 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 105 m.p.h. (165 km/h) and and there were wind gusts to 125 m.p.h. (200 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 972 mb.

Hurricane Bonnie moved toward the west-northwest over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean south of Baja California on Wednesday afternoon. A small circular eye with a diameter of 10 miles (16 km) was at the center of Bonnie’s circulation. The eye was surrounded by a ring of strong thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms. The inner end of a rainband wrapped around the small eye and eyewall at times, and it appeared that there could be concentric eyewalls. Other bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the small core of Hurricane Bonnie. Storms near the core generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the hurricane.

The circulation around Hurricane Bonnie was still small. Winds to hurricane force extended out 15 miles (25 km) from the center of Bonnie. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 80 miles (130 km) from the center. The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Hurricane Bonnie was 17.8. The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 5.4 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 23.2.

Hurricane Bonnie will move through an environment that will become less favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours. Bonnie will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 27˚C. It will move under the southeastern part of an upper level ridge over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean. The ridge will produce easterly winds that will blow toward the top of Bonnie’s circulation. Those winds will cause some vertical wind shear. The wind shear will inhibit intensification. Hurricane Bonnie is likely to weaken slowly during the next 24 hours, when it moves over slightly cooler water. If concentric eyewalls develop and persist, then an eyewall replacement cyclone could cause Bonnie to weaken more quickly. Since the circulation around Hurricane Bonnie is so small, any change in the environment could have a big impact on the intensity of Bonnie.

Hurricane Bonnie will move south of a high pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean. The high pressure system will steer Bonnie toward the west-northwest during the next 24 hours. On its anticipated track Hurricane Bonnie will southwest of Baja California during the next several days.

Tropical Storm Celia Passes South of Baja California

Tropical Storm Celia passed south of Baja California on Saturday. At 11:00 a.m. EDT on Saturday the center of Tropical Storm Celia was located at latitude 18.5°N and longitude 110.8°W which put it about 310 miles (500 km) south of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Celia was moving toward the west-northwest at 7 m.p.h. (11 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 65 m.p.h. (105 km/h) and and there were wind gusts to 80 m.p.h. (130 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 994 mb.

Tropical Storm Celia began to be affected by cooler water to its northwest on Saturday. The distribution of thunderstorms around Celia’s circulation was asymmetrical. The strongest thunderstorms were occurring in bands in the eastern half of Tropical Storm Celia, which was still over warmer water. Bands in the western half of Celia, which was over cooler water, consisted primarily of showers and lower clouds. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 100 miles (160 km) in the eastern side of Tropical Storm Celia. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 60 miles (95 km) in the western side of Celia.

Tropical Storm Celia will move into an environment that will be unfavorable for intensification during the next few days. Celia will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are colder than 26˚C. It will move under the southeastern part of an upper level ridge over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean. The ridge will produce northeasterly winds that will blow toward the top of Celia’s circulation. Those winds will cause more vertical wind shear. A combination of cooler water and more vertical wind shear will cause Tropical Storm Celia to weaken during the next few days.

Tropical Storm Celia will move south of a high pressure system over northern Mexico and the Eastern North Pacific. The high pressure system will steer Celia toward the west-northwest during the next few days. On its anticipated track Tropical Storm Celia will move farther away from Baja California.

Tropical Storm Celia Churns Southwest of Mexico

Tropical Storm Celia churned over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean southwest of Mexico on Wednesday night. At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday the center of Tropical Storm Celia was located at latitude 14.2°N and longitude 104.4°W which put it about 330 miles (535 km) south of Manzanillo, Mexico. Celia was moving toward the northwest at 7 m.p.h. (11 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 50 m.p.h. (80 km/h) and and there were wind gusts to 65 m.p.h. (105 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 1000 mb.

Winds to tropical storm force extended out 70 miles (110 km) from the center of Celia’s circulation. Even though Tropical Storm Celia strengthened a little on Wednesday, the distribution of thunderstorms remained asymmetrical. The strongest thunderstorms were occurring in bands in the western and southern parts of Celia’s circulation. Bands in the eastern and northern parts of Tropical Storm Celia consisted primarily of showers and lower clouds. An upper level ridge over Mexico and the Eastern North Pacific Ocean was producing moderate east-northeasterly winds that were blowing toward the top of Celia’s circulation. Those winds were causing some vertical wind shear and the wind shear was contributing to the asymmetrical distribution of thunderstorms.

Tropical Storm Celia will move through an environment that will become more favorable for intensification during the next 48 hours. Celia will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 28˚C. Although the upper level ridge over Mexico and the Eastern North Pacific will continue to produce east-northeasterly winds, those winds will weaken during the next 48 hours. When the upper level winds weaken, the vertical wind shear will diminish. Tropical Storm Celia is likely to intensify during the next 48 hours. Celia could strengthen to a hurricane on Friday.

Tropical Storm Celia will move southwest of a high pressure system over Mexico during the next 48 hours. The high pressure system will steer Celia toward the west-northwest. On its anticipated track Tropical Storm Celia will move south of Baja California by Saturday.

Tropical Depression Celia Passes South of Guatemala

Tropical Depression Celia passed south of Guatemala on Sunday. At 11:00 a.m. EDT on Sunday the center of Tropical Depression Celia was located at latitude 12.8°N and longitude 92.4°W which put it about 130 miles (210 km) southwest of Puerto San Jose, Guatemala. Celia was moving toward the west at 8 m.p.h. (13 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 30 m.p.h. (50 km/h) and and there were wind gusts to 40 m.p.h. (65 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 1008 mb.

The circulation around Tropical Depression Celia weakened during the weekend. A few thunderstorms formed near the center of Celia, but most of the circulation consisted of bands of showers and lower clouds. An upper level ridge over southeastern Mexico produced easterly winds that blew across the top of Tropical Depression Celia. Those winds caused moderate vertical wind shear. The wind shear blew the tops off of many of the thunderstorms that started to develop in Tropical Depression Celia.

Tropical Depression Celia will move through an environment mostly unfavorable for intensification during the next 24 hours. Celia will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 28˚C. However, the upper level ridge over southeastern Mexico will continue to cause moderate vertical wind shear. The wind shear will prevent intensification during the next day or so. Tropical Depression Celia will move into an area where the upper level winds are weaker early next week. That will cause the vertical wind shear to diminish. Tropical Depression Celia could strengthen when the shear diminishes.

Tropical Depression Celia will move south of a high pressure system over Mexico during the next 48 hours. The high pressure system will to steer Celia toward the west. On its anticipated track Tropical Depression Celia will move parallel to the south coast of Mexico.

Elsewhere over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Blas weakened south of Baja California. At 11:00 a.m. EDT on Sunday the center of Tropical Storm Blas was located at latitude 19.0°N and longitude 113.0°W which put it about 335 miles (540 km) southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Blas was moving toward the west-northwest at 7 m.p.h. (11 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 45 m.p.h. (75 km/h) and and there were wind gusts to 60 m.p.h. (95 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 1001 mb.

Possible Development East-Northeast of Hawaii

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) indicated that a low pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean east-northeast of Hawaii could develop into a subtropical or a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours. The low pressure system is currently designated as Invest 90E. At 1:00 p.m. EST on Thursday the center of Invest 90E was located at latitude 21.8°N and longitude 136.1°W which put it about 1280 miles (2065 km) east-northeast of Hilo, Hawaii. It was moving toward the west-northwest at 12 m.p.h. (19 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 45 m.p.h. (75 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 60 m.p.h. (95 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 1006 mb.

The National Hurricane Center issued a Special Tropical Weather Outlook on Thursday afternoon which indicated that a low pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean had a 40% probability of development into a subtropical or a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours. The low pressure system has been moving slowly toward the west between Baja California and Hawaii. The low pressure system currently has a hybrid structure. A well organized low level center of circulation was evident on visible satellite images. The low level center was located just to the east of a low pressure system in the middle and upper troposphere. The upper low was producing southerly winds that were blowing toward the top of the low level circulation. Those winds were causing moderate vertical wind shear and the wind shear was affecting the structure of the system. The strongest thunderstorms were occurring in bands north and east of the low level center of circulation. Bands south and west of the low level center consisted primarily of showers and lower clouds.

Invest 90E will move through an environment somewhat favorable for the formation of a subtropical or a tropical cyclone during the next 24 hours. The surface center of circulation will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 24˚C. Since the upper low contains colder air, that water temperature is warm enough to support the development of a subtropical or a tropical cyclone. The low in the middle and upper troposphere will continue to cause moderate vertical wind shear. The wind shear will inhibit the development of a tropical cyclone. The current hybrid structure of Invest 90E and the marginally warm Sea Surface Temperatures would favor the development of a subtropical cyclone. However, if the strength of the upper level winds decreases, then a tropical cyclone could form.

Invest 90E will move south of a surface high pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean. The high pressure system will steer the low level center of circulation toward the west-northwest during the next 24 hours. On its anticipated track Invest 90E will move slowly toward the Central Pacific Ocean.