Adrian strengthens into a category four hurricane off Mexico's Pacific coast

[News_Editor]

Adrian strengthens into a category four hurricane off Mexico's Pacific coast

2011-06-10 06:09:32 GMT+7 (ICT)

MIAMI (BNO NEWS) -- Hurricane Adrian unexpectedly strengthened into a major category four storm off the Pacific coast of Mexico on Thursday afternoon, forecasters said, but there is still no significant threat to land.

Forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) have been following the weather system since last week, when it emerged as a low pressure area. It developed into a tropical storm on Tuesday, before becoming a hurricane on Wednesday. It then quickly strengthened into a category three storm on Thursday, before reaching category four status hours later.

As of 3.30 p.m. PDT (2230 GMT), the center of Adrian was located about 320 miles (520 kilometers) south of Manzanillo, a municipality in the Mexican state of Colima which is also home to the country's busiest port. It is moving toward the west-northwest at a speed of 9 miles (15 kilometers) per hour, a motion which is expected to continue during the next few days, keeping the storm away from the Mexican coast.

Adrian's maximum sustained winds have increased to near 130 miles (210 kilometers) per hour, with higher gusts, making it a category four hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity. The storm could strengthen further, but is not expected to become a category five hurricane.

"During most of the day, Adrian has maintained a very distinct eye embedded within a symmetric central dense overcast wrapped by a cyclonically curved convective band," said NHC senior hurricane specialist Lixion Avila before Adrian was upgraded to a category four storm. "Recently, the convective band has weakened, and the cloud pattern is beginning to resemble an annular hurricane with a large eye and a central dense overcast."

The NHC earlier said it did not anticipate Adrian to become a category four storm. "The hurricane has the opportunity to strengthen a little more, but since Adrian is becoming annular, it will probably fluctuate little in intensity and will not weaken until the circulation becomes well embedded within stable air and cooler waters in a couple of days," Avila said.

A tropical storm watch which was issued on Wednesday for parts of the Mexican coast had earlier canceled. The watch was issued as a precaution because of a small chance that Adrian could turn towards the coast, but that did not happen.

Nonetheless, the NHC has warned people on the coast to be aware of swells, which could result in dangerous situations. "Swells generated by Adrian will continue to affect a portion of the southwestern coast of Mexico today through at least early this weekend," Avila said. "These swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip currents."

Until at least late Friday morning, Adrian is expected to remain a major (category three or higher) hurricane. It is then forecast to start weakening and become a tropical storm by Sunday morning, before weakening to a tropical depression on Tuesday morning. It should then dissipate over the ocean.

According to figures released in May, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center is expecting a below normal hurricane season in the Eastern Pacific this year. The outlook calls for 9 to 15 named storms, with five to eight becoming hurricanes and one to three expected to become a major hurricane (category 3 or higher).

An average Eastern Pacific hurricane season produces 15 to 16 named storms, with eight to nine becoming hurricanes and four becoming major hurricanes. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15 through November 30, with peak activity from July through September.

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