Tag Archives: Baja California

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.

Tropical Depression Thirteen-E Forms Southwest of Baja California

Tropical Depression Thirteen-E formed over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean southwest of Baja California on Friday afternoon.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday the center of Tropical Depression Thirteen-E was located at latitude 11.2°N and longitude 128.4°W which put the center about 1460 miles (2350 km) west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California.  The tropical depression was moving toward the west at 7 m.p.h. (11 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 35 m.p.h. (55 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 45 m.p.h. (75 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 1006 mb.

A low pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean southwest of Baja California strengthened on Saturday afternoon and the U.S. National Hurricane Center designated the system as Tropical Depression Thirteen-E.  More thunderstorms formed near the center of Tropical Depression Thirteen-E on Friday afternoon.  Other bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the center of the tropical depression.  Storms near the center of circulation generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the tropical depression.

Tropical Depression Thirteen-E will move through an environment that will be somewhat favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours.  The tropical depression will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 28°C.  It will move under the western part of an upper level ridge over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean.  The upper level ridge will produce easterly winds that will blow toward the top of the depression’s circulation.  Those winds will cause some vertical wind shear.  The wind shear will inhibit intensification, but the shear may not be enough to prevent intensification.  Tropical Depression Thirteen-E could intensify to a tropical storm during the next 24 hours.

Tropical Depression Thirteen-E will move south of a high pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean.  The high pressure system will steer the tropical depression toward the west during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, Tropical Depression Thirteen-E will move farther away from Baja California.

Kristy Weakens to a Tropical Storm

Former Hurricane Kristy weakened to a tropical storm over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean west of Baja California on Saturday.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday the center of Tropical Storm Kristy was located at latitude 20.7°N and longitude 129.2°W which put the center about 1245 miles (2005 km) west of the southern tip of Baja California.  Kristy was moving toward the northwest at 14 m.p.h. (22 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 65 m.p.h. (105 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 80 m.p.h. (130 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 993 mb.

Former Hurricane Kristy moved under the eastern side of an upper level trough east of Hawaii.  The upper level trough produced strong southwesterly winds that blew across the top of Kristy’s circulation.  Those winds caused strong vertical wind shear.  The wind shear blew the tops off of many of the thunderstorms in Tropical Storm Kristy, which caused Kristy to weaken rapidly.

The former eye of then Hurricane Kristy was still visible on satellite images.  However, the eye was surrounded by a ring of low clouds.  A few thunderstorms were still occurring in bands in the northern side of Tropical Storm Kristy.  Most of the bands revolving around the center of Kristy’s circulation consisted primarily of showers and lower clouds.

Despite the strong vertical wind shear, the distribution of wind speeds in Tropical Storm Kristy was fairly symmetrical.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 115 miles (185 km) from the center of Kristy’s circulation.

Tropical Storm Kristy will move through an environment that will be unfavorable for intensification during the next 24 hours.  Kristy will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 25°C.  The upper level trough east of Hawaii will continue to cause strong vertical wind shear.  Tropical Storm Kristy will continue to weaken during the next 24 hours.

The upper level trough east of Hawaii will steer Tropical Storm Kristy toward the northwest during the next 12 hours.  After the last thunderstorms in Kristy’s circulation dissipate, the tropical storm will be steered by the winds in the lower levels of the atmosphere.  A high pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean will steer Kristy toward the west-southwest on Sunday.  On its anticipated track, Tropical Storm Kristy will remain far from any land area.

Hurricane Kristy Weakens

Hurricane Kristy weakened over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean on Friday morning,  At 11:00 a.m. EDT on Friday the center of Hurricane Kristy was located at latitude 15.6°N and longitude 124.8°W which put the center about 1085 miles (1750 km) west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California.  Kristy was moving toward the west-northwest at 14 m.p.h. (22 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 125 m.p.h. (200 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 150 m.p.h. (240 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 952 mb.

Hurricane Kristy weakened over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean on Friday morning after reaching Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale on Thursday.  Clouds were developing inside the eye at the center of Kristy’s circulation.  The eye was still surrounded by a ring of thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms.  Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the core of Hurricane Kristy.  Storms near the core of Kristy’s circulation generated less upper level divergence than they did on Thursday.  The removal of less mass caused the surface pressure to increase.

The circulation around Hurricane Kristy continued to be small.  Winds to hurricane force extended out 30 miles (50 km) from the center of Kristy’s circulation.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 105 miles (165 km) from the center of Hurricane Kristy.

Hurricane Kristy will move through an environment that will be unfavorable for intensification during the next 24 hours.  Kristy will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 27°C.  It will move under the southern end of an upper level trough east of Hawaii.  The upper level trough will produce southwesterly winds that will blow toward the top of Kristy’s circulation.  Those upper level winds will cause the vertical wind shear to increase.  Hurricane Kristy will continue to weaken during the next 24 hours because of the increased vertical wind shear.

Hurricane Kristy will move around the southwestern part of a high pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean.  The high pressure system will steer Kristy toward the northwest during the next 24 h.  On its anticipated track, Hurricane Kristy will continue to remain far from any land mass.

Hurricane Kristy Intensifies to Cat. 5

Hurricane Kristy intensified to Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean southwest of Baja California on Thursday afternoon.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday the center of Hurricane Kristy was located at latitude 14.2°N and longitude 121.6°W which put the center about 970 miles (1565 km) southwest of the southern tip of Baja California.  Kristy was moving toward the west at 16 m.p.h. (26 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 160 m.p.h. (260 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 190 m.p.h. (305 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 926 mb.

Hurricane Kristy looked like a Category 5 hurricane on visible satellite images on Thursday afternoon.  A circular eye with a diameter of 17 miles (28 km) was at the center of Kristy’s circulation.  The eye was surrounded by a ring of thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms.  Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the core of Hurricane Kristy.  Storms near the core generated strong upper level divergence that pumped large amounts of mass away from the hurricane.  The removal of large amounts of mass caused the surface pressure to decrease.

The circulation around Hurricane Kristy was small.  Winds to hurricane force extended out 25 miles (40 km) from the center of Kristy’s circulation.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 105 miles (165 km) from the center of Hurricane Kristy.

The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Hurricane Kristy was 35.0.  The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 8.2 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 8.2.  Hurricane Kristy is smaller than Hurricane Milton was when Milton was over the Gulf of Mexico.

Hurricane Kristy will move through an environment that will become less favorable for a powerful hurricane during the next 24 hours.  Kristy will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 29°C.  It will move toward the southern end of an upper level trough between Hawaii and California.  The upper level trough will produce southwesterly winds that will start to affect Hurricane Kristy on Friday.  Those upper level winds will cause the vertical wind shear to increase.  Hurricane Kristy will start to weaken when the vertical wind shear increases.

Hurricane Kristy will move around the southwestern part of a high pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean.  The high pressure system will steer Kristy toward the northwest during the next 24 h.  On its anticipated track, Hurricane Kristy will continue to remain far from any land mass.

Kristy Rapidly Intensifies to a Major Hurricane South of Baja California

Hurricane Kristy rapidly intensified to a major hurricane over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean south of Baja California on Wednesday morning.  At 11:00 a.m. EDT on Wednesday the center of Hurricane Kristy was located at latitude 14.3°N and longitude 113.9°W which put the center about 650 miles (1045 km) south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California.  Kristy was moving toward the west at 20 m.p.h. (32 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 125 m.p.h. (200 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 150 m.p.h. (240 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 954 mb.

Hurricane Kristy continued to intensify rapidly on Wednesday morning.  A small circular eye was at the center of Kristy’s circulation.  The eye was surrounded by a ring of thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms.  Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the core of Hurricane Kristy.  Storms near the core generated strong upper level divergence that pumped large amounts of mass away from the hurricane.  The removal of large amounts of mass caused the surface pressure to decrease rapidly.

The circulation around Hurricane Kristy was small.  Winds to hurricane force extended out 20 miles (30 km) from the center of Kristy’s circulation.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 80 miles (130 km) from the center of Hurricane Kristy.

Hurricane Kristy will move through an environment favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours. Kristy will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 29°C.  It will move under the axis of an upper level ridge over the Eastern North Pacific.  The upper level winds are weak near the axis of the ridge and there will be little vertical wind shear.  Hurricane Kristy will intensify during the next 24 hours.  Kristy could continue to intensify rapidly. Hurricane Kristy could to strengthen to Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale on Thursday.

Hurricane Kristy will move around the southern side of a high pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean.  The high pressure system will continue to steer Kristy toward the west during the next 24 h.  On its anticipated track, Hurricane Kristy will continue to move farther away from Mexico.

Kristy Rapidly Intensifies to a Hurricane

Former Tropical Storm Kristy rapidly intensified to a hurricane over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean south of Baja California on Tuesday.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday the center of Hurricane Kristy was located at latitude 14.7°N and longitude 108.5°W which put the center about 550 miles (890 km) south of the southern tip of Baja California.  Kristy was moving toward the west at 18 m.p.h. (30 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 75 m.p.h. (120 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 90 m.p.h. (145 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 988 mb.

Former Tropical Storm Kristy rapidly intensified to a hurricane on Tuesday.  The inner end of a rainband wrapped around the center of Kristy’s circulation.  A circular eye formed at the center of Hurricane Kristy.  The eye was surrounded by a ring of thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms.  Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the center of Kristy’s circulation.  Storms near the center of Kristy generated strong upper level divergence that pumped large quantities of mass away from the hurricane.  The removal of large amounts of mass caused the surface pressure to decrease rapidly.

The circulation around Hurricane Kristy became more symmetrical on Tuesday.  Winds to hurricane force extended out 20 miles (30 km) in the northeastern quadrant of Kristy’s circulation.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 70 miles (110 km) from the center of Hurricane Kristy.

Hurricane Kristy will move through an environment favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours.  Kristy will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 29°C.  It will move under the axis of an upper level ridge over the Eastern North Pacific. The upper level winds are weak near the axis of the ridge and there will be little vertical wind shear.  Hurricane Kristy will intensify during the next 24 hours.  Kristy could continue to intensify rapidly.  Hurricane Kristy is likely to strengthen to a major hurricane on Wednesday.

Hurricane Kristy will move around the southern side of a high pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean.  The high pressure system will continue to steer Kristy toward the west during the next 24 h.  On its anticipated track, Hurricane Kristy will continue to move farther away from Mexico.

Tropical Storm Ileana Brings Wind and Rain to Southern Baja California

Tropical Storm Ileana brought gusty winds and rain to the southern part of Baja California on Friday afternoon.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday the center of Tropical Storm Ileana was located at latitude 22.7°N and longitude 109.4°W which put the center about 35 miles (55 km) east-southeast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.   Ileana was moving toward the north-northwest at 7 m.p.h. (11 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. (9 km/h).   The minimum surface pressure was 1000 mb.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the portion of the coast from Santa Fe to San Evaristo, Mexico.  The Tropical Storm Warning includes Cabo San Lucas and La Paz.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the portion of the coast from San Evaristo to Loreto, Mexico.  A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the portion of the coast from Topolobampo to Huatabampito, Mexico.

The circulation around Tropical Storm Ileana was not particularly well organized on Friday afternoon.  The northwestern part of Illeana’s circulation was passing over the southern end of Baja California.  The flow of air over land may have been disrupting the circulation.  Thunderstorms were occurring in bands revolving around the center of Tropical Storm Ileana.  Easterly winds pushing air up slopes in southern Baja California may have been contributing to the development of thunderstorms in that part of Ileana’s circulation.  Storms near the center of Ileana generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away to the northeast of the tropical storm.

The distribution of wind speeds in Tropical Storm Ileana was asymmetrical.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 60 miles (95 km) in the eastern side of Ileana’s circulation.  The winds in the western part of Tropical Storm Ileana were blowing at less than tropical storm force.

Tropical Storm Ileana will move through an environment that will become less favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours.  Ileana will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 30°C.  It will move under the southern part of an upper level trough over the Southwest U.S.  The upper level trough will produce southwesterly winds that will blow toward the top of Ileana’s circulation.  Those winds will cause the vertical wind shear to increase.  Tropical Storm Ileana is likely to weaken when the vertical wind shear increases.  The center of Ileana’s circulation could move across the southeastern tip of Baja California, which would also cause Tropical Storm Ileana to weaken.

Tropical Storm Ileana will move around the western end of a high pressure system over Mexico.  The high pressure system will steer Ileana toward the north during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, the center of Tropical Storm Ileana will move across the southeastern tip of Baja California and over the southern Gulf of California.

Tropical Storm Ileana will continue to bring gusty winds and locally heavy rain to the southern part of Baja California during the next 24 hours.  Heavy rain could cause flash floods in some locations.

 

Tropical Storm Ileana Forms South of Baja California

Tropical Storm Ileana formed south of Baja California on Thursday afternoon.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday the center of Tropical Storm Ileana was located at latitude 19.9°N and longitude 108.0°W which put the center about 240 miles (385 km) south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  Ileana was moving toward the north-northwest at 9 m.p.h. (15 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 1001 mb.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the portion of the coast from Santa Fe to San Evaristo, Mexico.  The Tropical Storm Warning includes Cabo San Lucas and La Paz.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the portion of the coast from San Evaristo to Loreto, Mexico.  A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the portion of the coast from Topolobampo to Huatabampito, Mexico.

A low pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean south of Baja California strengthened on Thursday afternoon and the U.S. National Hurricane Center designated the system as Tropical Storm Ileana.  More thunderstorms were developing near the center of Ileana’s circulation.  However, the distribution of theunderstorms in Tropical Storm Ileana was asymmetrical.  Thunderstorms were occurring in bands in the western side of Ileana’s circulation.  Bands in the eastern side of Ileana consisted primarily of showers and lower clouds.

The distribution of wind speeds in Tropical Storm Ileana was also asymmetrical.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 80 miles (130 km) in the northeastern quadrant of Ileana’s circulation.  The winds in the other parts of Ileana were blowing at less than tropical storm force.

Tropical Storm Ileana will move through an environment somewhat favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours.  Ileana will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 30°C.  It will move under the southwestern part of an upper level ridge over Mexico.  The upper level ridge will produce easterly winds that will blow toward the top of Ileana’s circulation.  Those winds will cause moderate vertical wind shear.  The wind shear will inhibit intensification, but the shear will not be enough to prevent intensification.  Tropical Storm Ileana is likely to intensify during the next 24 hours.

Tropical Storm Ileana will move around the western end of a high pressure system over Mexico.  The high pressure system will steer Ileana toward the north-northwest during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, Tropical Storm Ileana will reach the southern end of Baja California on Friday morning.

Tropical Storm Ileana will bring gusty winds and locally heavy rain to the southern part of Baja California.  Heavy rain could cause flash floods in some locations.

Gilma Weakens to a Tropical Storm

Former Hurricane Gilma weakened to a tropical storm over the Central Pacific Ocean east of Hawaii on Tuesday.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday the center of Tropical Storm Gilma was located at latitude 18.5°N and longitude 142.1°W which put the center about 850 miles (1370 km) east of Hilo, Hawaii.  Gilma was moving toward the west at 15 m.p.h. (24 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 65 m.p.h. (105 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 80 m.p.h. (130 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 996 mb.

Former Hurricane Gilma ran into strong westerly winds associated with an upper level low west of California.  Those winds effectively sheared the tops off of most of the thunderstorms in Gilma’s circulation.  The strong vertical wind shear caused former Hurricane Gilma to weaken rapidly on Tuesday.  For a time the circulation around Tropical Storm Gilma consisted primarily of bands of showers and lower clouds.  New thunderstorms began to develop in bands in the eastern side of Gilma’s circulation on Tuesday afternoon.

The small size of the circulation around former Hurricane Gilma contributed to the rapid weakening that occurred when the wind shear increased.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 70 miles (110 km) from the center of Tropical Storm Gilma.

Tropical Storm Gilma will move through an environment that will be unfavorable for intensification during the next 24 hours.  Gilma will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 25°C.  The upper level low west of California will continue to produce westerly winds that will blow toward the top of Gilma’s circulation.  Those winds will cause moderately strong vertical wind shear.  Tropical Storm Gilma is likely to continue to weaken during the next 24 hours.

Tropical Storm Gilma will move around the southern side of a subtropical high pressure system over the Eastern and Central North Pacific Ocean.  The high pressure system will steer Gilma toward the west-northwest during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, Tropical Storm Gilma will move closer to Hawaii.

Elsewhere, Tropical Storm Hone continued to move farther from Hawaii and Tropical Storm Hector continued to move westward over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean.

At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday the center of Tropical Storm Hone was located at latitude 20.1°N and longitude 166.1°W which put the center about 450 miles (725 km) west-southwest of Lihue, Hawaii.  Hone was moving toward the west-northwest at 12 m.p.h. (19 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 50 m.p.h. (80 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 65 m.p.h. (105 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 1002 mb.

At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday the center of Tropical Storm Hector was located at latitude 17.8°N and longitude 129.8°W which put the center about 1335 miles (2145 km) west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California.  Hector was moving toward the west-northwest at 12 m.p.h. (19 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 50 m.p.h. (80 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 65 m.p.h. (105 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 1002 mb.