Tropical storm Andres is now the first instance of the onset of the 2015 hurricane season to form over the Pacific Ocean. The storm cell began to gain condensation and form into a stronger tropical storm cell at around 8:00 Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).
A tropical storm is typically accompanied with low pressure system winds ranging from 39 mph to 72 mph. and begins to create a circulation around the low pressure core. According to meteorologists, Andres is predicted to become a Catergory 1 hurricane by Friday, or possibly sooner.
In the last 24 hours, tropical storm Andres has increased its average sustained winds above 39 mph, shifting it up from a depression to a tropical storm. Warm ocean surface temperatures in the Pacific will continue to feed energy into the storm cell, causing it to rapidly intensify into a hurricane.
It is forecast that Andres will head northwest along the western coast of Mexico, weakening as it travels over cooler waters near Baja California. High waves are expected for the region of Southern California until the end of the weekend. Heavy rainfall and gale force winds are also expected to hit the lower West Coast over the weekend.
By Alex Lemieux
Weather Channel: Tropical Storm Andres, First of the 2015 Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season, Expected to Become a Hurricane
Photo Courtesy of NASA Goddard Spece Flight Center’s Flickr Page Creative Commons License
Photo Courtesy of Kim Hill’s Flickr Page Creative Commons License