Tag Archives: Tropical Storm Barbara

Tropical Storms Barbara and Cosme Spin West of Mexico

Tropical Storms Barbara and Cosme were spinning over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean west of Mexico on Tuesday morning.  At 5:00 a.m. EDT on Tuesday the center of Tropical Storm Barbara was located at latitude 19.1°N and longitude 108.1°W which put the center about 180 miles (290 km) west-southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico.  Barbara was moving toward the northwest at 8 m.p.h. (13 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 60 m.p.h. (95 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 75 m.p.h. (120 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 999 mb.

Former Hurricane Barbara weakened back to a tropical storm as it moved over cooler water south of Baja California during Monday night.  Thunderstorms were still occurring near the center of Barbara’s circulation.  Those thunderstorms generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the tropical storm.  However, the upper level divergence pumped away less mass than was converging in the lower level’s of Barbara’s circulation.  The accumulation of mass in the lower levels caused the surface pressure to increase.

The circulation around Tropical Storm Barbara was small.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 70 miles (110 km) from the center of Barbara’s circulation.

Tropical Storm Barbara will move through an environment unfavorable for intensification during the next 24 hours.  Barbara will move over water where where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 24°C. It will move under the middle part of an upper level ridge over Mexico and the Eastern North Pacific Ocean.  The upper level winds are weak near the middle of the ridge and there will be little vertical wind shear.  Tropical Storm Barbara will continue to weaken during the next 24 hours as it moves over colder water.

Tropical Storm Barbara will move around the southwestern part of a high pressure system over Mexico.  The high pressure system will steer Barbara toward the northwest during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, Tropical Storm Barbara will move slowly toward the southern end of Baja California.

Elsewhere over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Cosme was spinning south of Baja California.  At 5:00 a.m. EDT on Tuesday the center of Tropical Storm Cosme was located at latitude 15.3°N and longitude 114.5°W which put the center about 605 miles (975 km) south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California.  Cosme was moving toward the west-northwest at 5 m.p.h. (8 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 70 m.p.h. (110 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 85 m.p.h. (135 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 993 mb.

Tropical Storm Cosme maintained its intensity during Monday night.  Thunderstorms were occurring near the center of Cosme’s circulation.  Thunderstorms were also occurring in bands in the western side of Tropical Storm Cosme.  Bands in the eastern side of Cosme’s circulation consisted primarily of showers and lower clouds.  Storms near the center of Cosme generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the tropical storm.  The removal of mass in the upper levels was almost the same as the inflow of mass in the lower level of Tropical Storm Cosme.  As a result of the balance of inflow and outflow, the surface pressure remained nearly constant.

The circulation around Tropical Storm Cosme was small.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 85 miles (135 km) from the center of Cosme’s circulation.

Tropical Storm Cosme will move through an environment slightly unfavorable for intensification during the next 24 hours.  Cosme will move over water where where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 25°C.  It will move under the southern side of an upper level ridge over Mexico and the Eastern North Pacific Ocean.  The upper level ridge will produce easterly winds that will blow toward the top of Cosme’s circulation.  Those winds will cause some vertical wind shear. The combination of cooler Sea Surface Temperatures and some vertical wind shear will likely cause Tropical Storm Cosme to start to weaken during the next 24 hours.

Tropical Storm Cosme will move around the western part of a high pressure system over Mexico.  The high pressure system will steer Cosme toward the north during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, Tropical Storm Cosme will remain far to the south of Baja California.

Tropical Storm Cosme Forms South of Baja California

Tropical Storm Cosme formed over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean south of Baja California on Sunday afternoon.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday the center of Tropical Storm Cosme was located at latitude 13.3°N and longitude 111.0°W which put the center about 665 miles (1075 km) south of the southern tip of Baja California.  Cosme was moving toward the northwest at 8 m.p.h. (13 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 999 mb.

A low pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean south of Baja California strengthened on Sunday afternoon and the U.S. National Hurricane Center designated the system as Tropical Storm Cosme.  More thunderstorms formed near the center of Tropical Storm Cosme.  Thunderstorms also developed in bands in the southern and western parts of Cosme’s circulation.  Bands in the eastern and northern parts of Tropical Storm Cosme consisted primarily of showers and lower clouds.  Storms near the center of Cosme generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away to the west of the tropical storm.  The removal of mass caused the surface pressure to decrease.

The circulation around Tropical Storm Cosme was relatively small. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 45 miles (75 km) from the center of Cosme’s circulation.

Tropical Storm Cosme will move through an environment favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours.  Cosme will move over water where where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 28°C.  It will move under the southern side of an upper level ridge over Mexico and the Eastern North Pacific Ocean.  The upper level ridge will produce easterly winds that will blow toward the top of Cosme’s circulation.  Those winds will cause some vertical wind shear.  The vertical wind shear will inhibit intensification, but the wind shear will not be strong enough to prevent Cosme from intensifying.  Tropical Storm Cosme will intensify during the next 24 hours.

Tropical Storm Cosme will move around the western part of a high pressure system over Mexico.  The high pressure system will steer Cosme toward the northwest during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, Tropical Storm Cosme will remain far to the south of Baja California.

Elsewhere over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Barbara strengthened southwest of Mexico.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday the center of Tropical Storm Barbara was located at latitude 16.0°N and longitude 104.1°W which put the center about 205 miles (325 km) southwest of Zihuatanejo, Mexico.  Barbara was moving toward the west-northwest at 12 m.p.h. (19 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 60 m.p.h. (95 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 75 m.p.h. (120 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 996 mb.

Tropical Storm Cosme and Tropical Storm Barbara will move close enough to each other during the next few days that their two circulations are likely to interact.

Tropical Storm Barbara Forms South of Mexico

Tropical Storm Barbara formed over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean south of Mexico during Saturday night.  At 5:00 a.m. EDT on Sunday the center of Tropical Storm Barbara was located at latitude 15.2°N and longitude 102.4°W which put the center about 180 miles (290 km) south of Zihuatanejo, Mexico.  Barbara 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 1001 mb.

A low pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean south of Mexico strengthened during Saturday night and the U.S. National Hurricane Center designated the system as Tropical Storm Barbara.  The circulation around Tropical Storm Barbara was organizing quickly.  More thunderstorms were forming near the center of Barbara’s circulation.  Thunderstorms were also developing quickly in bands revolving around the center of Tropical Storm Barbara.  Storms near the center of Barbara generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the tropical storm in all directions.  The removal of mass caused the surface pressure to decrease.

The circulation around Tropical Storm Barbara was relatively small.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 45 miles (75 km) from the center of Barbara’s circulation.

Tropical Storm Barbara will move through an environment very favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours.  Barbara will move over water where where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 30°C.  It will move under the middle part of an upper level ridge over Mexico and the Eastern North Pacific Ocean.  The upper level winds are weak near the middle of the ridge and there will be little vertical wind shear.  Tropical Storm Barbara will intensify during the next 24 hours.  Barbara could rapidly intensify to a hurricane by Monday.

Tropical Storm Barbara will move around the southwestern part of a high pressure system over Mexico.  The high pressure system will steer Barbara toward the west-northwest during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, Tropical Storm Barbara will move west of the west coast of Mexico.

Tropical Storm Cosme Forms Southwest of Baja California

Tropical Storm Cosme formed southwest of Baja California on Saturday.  At 11:00 a.m. EDT on Saturday the center of Tropical Storm Cosme was located at latitude 15.6°N and longitude 115.7°W which put it about 630 miles (1015 km) southwest of the southern tip of Baja California.  Cosme was moving toward the west-northwest at 14 m.p.h. (22 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 1001 mb.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) determined on Saturday that a distinct center of circulation had developed in a broader area of lower pressure and NHC designated the system as Tropical Storm Cosme.  The distribution of thunderstorms around Tropical Storm Cosme was asymmetrical.  The stronger thunderstorms were occurring in bands in the eastern half of the circulation.  Bands in the western half of the circulation consisted primarily of showers and lower clouds.  An upper level trough near Baja California was producing strong southwesterly winds which were blowing across the top of the circulation.  Those winds were causing strong vertical wind shear and they were probably the reason for the asymmetrical distribution of thunderstorms.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out about 150 miles (240 km) from the center of circulation.

Tropical Storm Cosme will move through an environment that is not favorable for significant intensification.  Cosme will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperature is near 26°C.  The upper level trough will continue to produce southwesterly winds that will blow toward the top of Tropical Storm Cosme.  The upper level winds are likely to weaken somewhat, but they will continue to cause vertical wind shear.  Tropical Storm Cosme could intensify a little during the next 24 hours, but it is not likely to strengthen significantly.

Tropical Storm Cosme will move south of a subtropical high pressure system over Eastern North Pacific Ocean.  The high will steer Cosme toward the west-northwest.  On its anticipated track Tropical Storm Cosme is forecast to remain well to the west of Baja California.

Elsewhere over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Barbara continued to weaken as it moved toward Hawaii.  At 11:00 a.m. EDT on Saturday the center of Tropical Storm Barbara was located at latitude 18.7°N and longitude 139.2°W which put it about 1040 miles (1670 km) east of Hilo, Hawaii.  Barbara was moving toward the west at 17 m.p.h. (28 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 1000 mb.

Barbara Weakens to a Tropical Storm

Former Hurricane Barbara weakened to a tropical storm on Friday.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday the center of Tropical Storm Barbara was located at latitude 18.6°N and longitude 134.7°W which put it about 1330 miles (2145 km) east of Hilo, Hawaii.  Barbara was moving toward the west-northwest at 13 m.p.h. (20 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 60 m.p.h. (95 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 75 m.p.h. (120 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 997 mb.

The effects of vertical wind shear and cooler Sea Surface Temperatures caused former Hurricane Barbara to weaken quickly to a tropical storm on Friday.  An upper level trough northeast of Hawaii produced strong southwesterly winds which blew the upper portion of the circulation north of the remainder of the tropical storm.  In addition, Tropical Storm Barbara moved over water where the Sea Surface Temperature was near 25°C which meant there was less energy to support the development of taller thunderstorms.  Tropical Storm Barbara still had a well formed circulation in the lower levels of the atmosphere.  However, as a result of the strong shear and cooler water, bands consisted primarily of showers and lower clouds.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out about 140 miles (220 km) from the center of circulation.

Tropical Storm Barbara will continue to move over cooler water and through a region of strong vertical wind shear during the next several days.  Barbara will continue to weaken and it could be a tropical depression on Saturday.

Since Tropical Storm Barbara contains few tall thunderstorms, it is being steered by winds closer to the surface.  A subtropical high pressure system north of Barbara will steer the tropical storm toward the west.  On its anticipated track Tropical Storm Barbara will move toward Hawaii.

Tropical Storm Barbara Forms South of Baja California

Tropical Storm Barbara formed south of Baja California on Sunday as the remnants of former Hurricane Alvin were dissipating over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean.  At 11:00 a.m. EDT on Sunday the center of Tropical Storm Barbara was located at latitude 10.6°N and longitude 110.4°W which put it about 850 miles (1370 km) south of the southern tip of Baja California.  Barbara was moving toward the west-northwest at 16 m.p.h. (26 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 1006 mb.

More thunderstorms developed near the center of a low pressure system south of Baja California on Sunday and the National Hurricane Center designated the system as Tropical Storm Barbara.  Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the center of circulation.  Storms near the center were generating upper level divergence which was pumping mass away from the tropical storm.  Tropical Storm Barbara was larger than former Hurricane Alvin.  Winds to tropical storms force extended out about 80 miles (130 km) from the center of circulation.

Tropical Storm Barbara will move through an environment favorable for intensification during the next several days.  Barbara will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperature is near 29°C.  It will move through an area where the upper level winds are weak and there will be little vertical wind shear.  Tropical Storm Barbara will continue to intensify and it is likely to strengthen into a hurricane by the middle of the week.  Barbara could intensify rapidly when the inner core is more developed.

Tropical Storm Barbara will move south of a subtropical ridge over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean.  The ridge will steer Barbara toward the west-northwest.  On its anticipated track Tropical Storm Barbara will move away from Baja California and the rest of Mexico.