An Area to Watch in the Pacific Already

Hurricane Season has begun in the Eastern Pacific basin, right on schedule. The season officially kicked off May 15 and a mere 5 days into the season, we have our first area to monitor.

An area off the western coast of Mexico (pictured above) is being watched for potential tropical development this weekend into early next week. As of now, the chances of this system developing into a tropical cyclone are relatively low, but it's still worth keeping an eye on. Some long-range models suggest a system could close off and drift westward over the upcoming holiday weekend.

That said, take any long-range model output with a grain of salt. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season typically ramps up slowly, with activity peaking in mid-August and again in late September.

If this system were to strengthen and receive a name from the National Hurricane Center, Alvin would be first on the list in the Pacific.