UPDATE 1 -- Beatriz becomes a hurricane as it bears down on Mexico

[News_Editor]

UPDATE 1 -- Beatriz becomes a hurricane as it bears down on Mexico

2011-06-21 10:12:17 GMT+7 (ICT)

MIAMI (BNO NEWS) -- Beatriz strengthened into a category one hurricane on early Monday evening as it roared towards the Pacific coast of Mexico, forecasters said, making it the second hurricane of the East Pacific hurricane season.

Forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) have been following the weather system since Tuesday last week when it emerged as an area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms off central America. It slowly became more organized in the next few days and developed into a tropical depression on Sunday morning, before strengthening into a tropical storm just three hours later.

"Recent satellite imagery shows that Beatriz has become significantly better organized over the past couple of hours, with a well-defined curved band wrapping more than 360 degrees around the estimated center," said NHC senior hurricane specialist Richard Pasch. "Given that the Air Force Hurricane Hunters found that the tropical cyclone was very near hurricane strength this afternoon, this increase in organization warrants an upgrade to hurricane status."

As of 8 p.m. PDT (0300 GMT Tuesday), the center of Beatriz was located about 85 miles (140 kilometers) southeast 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 north-northwest at 12 miles (19 kilometers) per hour, and a turn toward the northwest and west-northwest is forecast by Wednesday evening.

"If the center does not cross the coast, the atmospheric and oceanic environment should permit some additional intensification," Pasch said. "An alternate scenario, however, is for Beatriz to move inland, in which case considerable weakening over the mountainous terrain of Mexico would be likely."

Maximum sustained winds of Beatriz are near 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour, with higher gusts, making it a category one hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity. It is unlikely that Beatriz will strengthen into a category two storm.

However, tropical storm conditions were already affecting areas along the coast on Monday evening, and the center of the hurricane is expected to move very near or over the coast of Mexico overnight. It should then move away from the coast by late Tuesday.

As a result, a hurricane warning is in effect for the coast of Mexico from Zihuatanejo northwestward to Cabo Corrientes. A tropical storm warning is also in effect from Tecpan de Galeana westward to east of Zihuatanejo.

In addition to potentially devastating winds, Beatriz is also expected to produce total rain accumulations of 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) along the coasts of Guerrero, Jalisco, Colima, and Michoacan in southern Mexico. Isolated maximum amounts of 20 inches (50 centimeters) are possible over mountainous terrain, which could result in life-threatening flash floods and mud slides.

Beatriz is the second hurricane of the 2011 Eastern Pacific hurricane season, following Hurricane Adrian which formed off Acapulco, Mexico in early June. It rapidly strengthened into a category four hurricane but had no direct impact on land. It dissipated on June 12.

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.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-06-21