Hurricane Dora forms off the Pacific coast of Mexico, watch issued

[News_Editor]

Hurricane Dora forms off the Pacific coast of Mexico, watch issued

2011-07-20 11:39:21 GMT+7 (ICT)

MIAMI (BNO NEWS) -- Hurricane Dora formed off the Pacific coast of Mexico on early Tuesday evening, forecasters said, prompting a tropical storm watch for some coastal areas.

Forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) have been following the weather system since Saturday morning when it emerged as a low pressure system off the coast of Costa Rica, producing scattered thunderstorms over portions of Central America. It quickly became better organized and a tropical storm formed on Monday.

On early Tuesday evening, NHC senior hurricane specialist Dan Brown said Dora had strengthened into a category one hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 75 miles (120 kilometer) per hour, with higher gusts. "The hurricane should continue to strengthen during the next couple of days as it traverses warm water and remains in a low-shear environment," Brown said.

As of 8 p.m. PDT (0300 GMT Wednesday), the center of Dora was located about 240 miles (390 kilometers) south of Acapulco, a major sea port on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. It is moving toward the west-northwest near 17 miles (28 kilometers) per hour, a general motion which is expected to continue for the next several days.

As a result, the center of the system could come close to Mexico's Pacific coast on late Wednesday, and Dora is forecast to become a category three hurricane by Thursday morning. "The chances of tropical-storm-force winds have increased along portions of the coast of southwestern Mexico primarily due to the eastward shift of the official track forecast. Therefore, the government of Mexico has issued a tropical storm watch from Lazaro Cardenas to Cabo Correntes," Brown said.

"Tropical storm conditions are possible within the eastern portion of the watch area by late Wednesday and within the remainder of the watch area by Thursday," Brown added. "Swells generated by Dora will affect the coast of southern and southwestern Mexico during the next couple of days. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions."

Dora could also pose a threat to Baja California later this week as it starts to weaken, but forecasts on Wednesday and Thursday will determine whether watches or warnings have to be issued for the peninsula.

Dora is the fourth named storm of the 2011 Eastern Pacific hurricane season, following Hurricane Calvin which formed off the Pacific coast of Mexico earlier this month. As the system stayed far away from land, Calvin caused no damage or casualties.

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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