Hurricane Adrian starts to weaken, expected to dissipate next week

Hurricane Adrian starts to weaken, expected to dissipate next week

2011-06-11 11:31:32 GMT+7 (ICT)

MIAMI (BNO NEWS) -- Hurricane Adrian, located off the Pacific coast of Mexico, began to weaken on Friday while forecasters expect the storm to dissipate early next week without affecting any 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 off Acapulco. 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 8 p.m. PDT on Friday (0300 GMT Saturday), the center of Adrian was located about 505 miles (815 kilometers) south of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. It is moving toward the west-northwest at a speed near 9 miles (15 kilometers) per hour, a general motion which is expected to continue throughout the weekend.

Adrian's maximum sustained winds have now decreased to near 110 miles (175 kilometers) per hour, with higher gusts, making it a category two hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity. The storm is expected to further weaken during the weekend.

"The satellite signature of Adrian has been steadily eroding during the past six hours and the eye is no longer apparent in conventional imagery," said NHC senior hurricane specialist Stacy Stewart, who added that the storm is probably weaker than the center said in its advisories.

Adrian is expected to stay well offshore Mexico and pose no direct threat to any land as it continues to weaken, although swells may create dangerous conditions. "Large swells generated by Adrian will continue to affect a portion of the southwestern coast of Mexico through at least early this weekend," Stewart said. "These swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip currents."

According to the NHC, Adrian is forecast to weaken to a tropical storm on late Saturday. It will then weaken to a post-tropical depression by Monday evening before completely dissipating on Tuesday or early Wednesday.

Adrian is the first hurricane of the season and, 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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