Tropical Storm Calvin forms off Mexico's Pacific coast

[News_Editor]

Tropical Storm Calvin forms off Mexico's Pacific coast

2011-07-08 17:02:53 GMT+7 (ICT)

MIAMI (BNO NEWS) -- Tropical Storm Calvin formed off the Pacific coast of Mexico on late Thursday evening, forecasters said, but no threat to Mexico's mainland is expected.

Forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) have been following the weather system since Sunday when it emerged as an area of disorganized showers off central America. It slowly became more organized in the last few days and developed into a tropical depression on Thursday morning, before strengthening into a tropical storm about 12 hours later.

"Although Calvin remains in an environment of modest easterly shear, the shear is forecast to decrease somewhat within the next 24 hours," NHC hurricane specialist Todd Kimberlain said on Friday morning. "At the same time, Calvin will be moving away from 28-29 Celsius (82.4 - 84.2 degrees Fahrenheit) waters and toward a region of sharply lower sea surface temperatures. These factors should allow for a narrow window of opportunity for strengthening in the short-term, followed by a general weakening trend."

As of 2 a.m. PDT (0900 GMT) on Friday, the center of Tropical Storm Calvin was located about 215 miles (345 kilometers) south-southwest 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 15 miles (24 kilometers) per hour.

Maximum sustained winds of Calvin are near 50 miles (85 kilometers) per hour, with higher gusts, according to forecasters. The storm could see some slight strengthening on Friday and Saturday, but it is not expected to strengthen into a hurricane before it begins to weaken.

Forecasters do not expect Calvin to impact Mexico's mainland, but the tropical storm could pass close to Socorro Island, which is a small volcanic island in the Revillagigedo Islands, located about 600 kilometers (372 miles) off the country's western coast.

Socorro Island has a naval station and a small village with a population of several hundred people. Calvin could pass close to the island on late Saturday, just before the storm is expected to weaken to a tropical depression.

In September 1997, category five hurricane Linda caused some damage and power outages to Socorro Island when the powerful storm passed about 125 nautical miles (231 kilometers) southeast of Socorro Islands. There were no reports of casualties at the time.

Calvin is the third named storm of the 2011 Eastern Pacific hurricane season, following Hurricane Beatriz which formed off the Pacific coast of Mexico in late June. Beatriz caused heavy rains and strong winds in the region as it moved along the coast, killing four people in Guerrero state.

Before Beatriz, Hurricane Adrian formed off Mexico's Acapulco in early June. It rapidly strengthened into a category four hurricane but had no direct impact on land. Adrian 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.

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