Warnings issued as powerful hurricane Dora begins to weaken

[News_Editor]

Warnings issued as powerful hurricane Dora begins to weaken

2011-07-22 10:14:22 GMT+7 (ICT)

MIAMI (BNO NEWS) -- Powerful hurricane Dora began to weaken on Thursday as it roared along the Pacific coast of Mexico, forecasters said. A tropical storm warning has been issued for a portion of the Baja California peninsula.

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. It developed into a tropical storm on Monday, a hurricane on Tuesday, and then rapidly strengthened into a category four storm.

As of 8 p.m. PDT (0300 GMT Friday), the center of Dora was located about 215 miles (345 kilometers) southwest of Cabo Corrientes, a cape on the Pacific coast of the Mexican state of Jalisco. It is moving towards the northwest at a speed of about 9 miles (15 kilometers) per hour.

With maximum sustained winds near 125 miles (205 kilometers) per hour on late Thursday, Dora was downgraded to a category three hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity. It was earlier a category four storm.

"A few hours ago, the eye of Dora abruptly disappeared on geostationary satellite images and deep convection became much less symmetric about the center," said NHC senior hurricane forecaster Richard Pasch. "This indicates a significant weakening of the hurricane."

Pasch explained the weakening is likely due to a strong northerly shear over the cyclone, although it is still over waters of about 28 degrees Celsius (82.4 Fahrenheit). "An even more rapid weakening is likely to commence as soon as Dora traverses much cooler waters," he added.

While the hurricane is not expected to make landfall anywhere, new weather models have prompted officials to upgrade tropical storm watches for the Baja California peninsula from Agua Blanca to Buenavista to a tropical storm warning. The warning area includes Cabo San Lucas.

"The official forecast has been adjusted somewhat to the right of the previous forecast and is close to the latest dynamical model consensus. This rather small shift in the NHC track now takes Dora near enough to the southern Baja California peninsula to bring tropical storm force winds to that area," Pasch said. "Consequently, the tropical storm watch has been changed to a tropical storm warning for extreme southern Baja California."

Dora is the fourth named storm and the second major hurricane 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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