Tag Archives: Tropical Storm Guillermo

Hurricane Felicia and Tropical Storm Guillermo Weaken

Both Hurricane Felicia and Tropical Storm Guillermo weakened on Monday morning. At 11:00 a.m. EDT on Monday the center of Hurricane Felicia was located at latitude 16.3°N and longitude 132.3°W which put it about 1515 miles (2435 km) east of Hilo, Hawaii. Felicia was moving toward the west at 12 m.p.h. (19 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 80 m.p.h. (130 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 100 m.p.h. (160 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 990 mb.

Hurricane Felicia weakened rapidly on Monday morning. Felicia moved over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures was near 26°C. The air over the cooler water was also drier. When the drier air entered the small circulation around Hurricane Felicia, thunderstorms in the eyewall and in the rainbands weakened. The eye at the center of Felicia filled with lower clouds. Many of the bands consisted primarily of showers and lower clouds. The strongest thunderstorms were occurring in a small area east of the center of circulation. Winds to hurricane force extended out 15 miles (25 km) from the center. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 45 miles (75 km) from the center of circulation.

Hurricane Felicia will continue to weaken during the next several days. Felicia will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 26°C. It will continue to be an environment where the air is relatively dry, which will inhibit the formation of thunderstorms. An upper level trough near Hawaii will produce southwesterly winds that will blow across the top of Felicia. Those winds will cause moderate vertical wind shear and the wind shear will cause Felicia to weaken faster. Hurricane Felicia could weaken to a tropical depression by Tuesday night.

Hurricane Felicia will move south of a subtropical high pressure system over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean. The high will steer Felicia toward the west during the next several days. On its anticipated track the remnants of Hurricane Felicia could pass south of Hawaii at the end of the week.

Elsewhere over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Guillermo also weakened on Monday morning. At 11:00 a.m. EDT on Monday the center of Tropical Storm Guillermo was located at latitude 19.1°N and longitude 117.8°W which put it about 575 miles (925 km) west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Guillermo was moving toward the west at 15 m.p.h. (24 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.

Hurricane Felicia Churns West, Tropical Storm Guillermo Strengthens

Hurricane Felicia churned toward the west over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean on Sunday. At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday the center of Hurricane Felicia was located at latitude 16.0°N and longitude 129.0°W which put it about 1330 miles (2140 km) west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Felicia was moving toward the west-northwest at 12 m.p.h. (19 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 120 m.p.h. (195 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 140 m.p.h. (225 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 961 mb.

Hurricane Felicia weakened gradually on Sunday as it churned westward over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean. Even though Felicia was weakening, the circulation around the hurricane remained very well organized. A small circular eye was at the center of Hurricane Felicia. 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 Felicia. Storms near the core generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the hurricane.

The circulation around Hurricane Felicia was still small. Winds to hurricane force extended out 20 miles (30 km) from the center of Felicia. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 60 miles (95 km) from the center of circulation. The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Felicia is 22.1. The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) is 6.2 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) is 28.3.

Hurricane Felicia will move through an environment that will become less favorable for a strong hurricane during the next 48 hours. Felicia will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 26°C. It will move through a region where the upper level winds are weak during the next 24 hours. An upper level trough near Hawaii will move toward Felicia during the next several days. The trough will produce strong southwesterly winds that will blow toward the top of Hurricane Felicia in a couple of days. Those winds will cause strong vertical wind shear and the shear will cause Felicia to weaken more quickly.

Hurricane Felicia will move south of a subtropical high pressure system during the next few days. The high will steer Felicia toward the west. On its anticipated track Hurricane Felicia will move over the Central Pacific Ocean on Tuesday night.

Elsewhere over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Guillermo strengthened gradually southwest of Baja California on Sunday. At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday the center of Tropical Storm Guillermo was located at latitude 18.7°N and longitude 113.8°W which put it about 385 miles (620 km) southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Guillermo was moving toward the west-northwest at 14 m.p.h. (22 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.

The circulation around Tropical Storm Guillermo was much larger than the circulation around Hurricane Felicia. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 115 miles (185 km) on the eastern side of Guillermo. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 60 miles (95 km) on the western side of the circulation. Tropical Storm Guillermo is forecast to move toward the west and to strengthen during the next 24 hours.