Hurricane Greg forms far off Mexico's Pacific coast

[News_Editor]

Hurricane Greg forms far off Mexico's Pacific coast

2011-08-18 12:10:07 GMT+7 (ICT)

MIAMI (BNO NEWS) -- Hurricane Greg formed far off the Pacific coast of Mexico on Wednesday evening, forecasters said, but there is no threat to land. Greg is expected to strengthen further.

Forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) have been following the weather system since Sunday afternoon when it emerged as a large area of disturbed weather several hundred miles (kilometers) south-southeast of Guatemala. It developed into a tropical storm on Wednesday morning and a hurricane on Wednesday evening.

As of 8 p.m. PDT on Monday (0300 GMT Thursday), the center of Greg was located about 280 miles (455 kilometers) west-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 near 22 miles (35 kilometers) per hour.

"Greg continues to be steered quickly west-northwestward between a large mid/upper-level ridge over the southern United States and a cyclonic gyre to the southwest of the cyclone," said NHC warning coordination meteorologist Daniel Brown. "As the gyre weakens during the next 24 hours, Greg should turn westward and slow down."

Maximum sustained winds of Greg have increased to near 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour, with higher gusts, according to forecasters. "Sea surface temperatures along the path of Greg gradually cool throughout the forecast period, however the cyclone is forecast to remain over 27 to 28 degree Celsius (80.6 to 82.4 degrees Fahrenheit) water for another 24 hours or so. During that time, shear is expected to remain light which should allow for additional strengthening."

If the conditions remain favorable for strengthening, there is a small chance Greg could briefly become a category two hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity. In any case, however, Greg will remain far from any land and move further away from Mexico.

Greg is the seventh named storm of the 2011 Eastern Pacific hurricane season, following Tropical Storm Fernanda which remains active about 1,180 miles (1900 kilometers) east-southeast of South Point, Hawaii. Fernanda is expected to move into the Central Pacific on early Thursday morning.

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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