Low in the Eastern Pacific Could Develop into First Tropical System of the Season

Hurricane Season in the Eastern Pacific could get off to an early start this year. An area of low pressure located several hundred miles off the southern coast of Mexico is producing showers and thunderstorms and could become the first tropical depression or tropical storm in the Eastern Pacific by the end of the weekend. The National Hurricane Center gives the system a 70 percent chance of developing through early Sunday and a 70 percent chance of developing through the middle of next week. The low pressure system is moving west-northwest at about 10 miles per hour. It is currently not a threat to land but could eventually bring impacts to Socorro Island. If the storm system reaches tropical storm status, with sustained winds of at least 39 mph, it would become Tropical Storm Andres. The Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season officially runs from May 15th through November 3th, but tropical systems occasionally form in this region during the first two weeks of May, but have formed even earlier in past seasons.