Hurricanes Attempt to Sandwich Middle Americas

This year’s hurricane season is well underway, with five active disturbances being tracked in the Eastern Pacific and Atlantic regions. Earlier this week Hurricane Genevieve was listed as Category 4 but has been downgraded to a tropical storm as she moves northwest along the Baja coast. Despite the weakened weather conditions the Baja Peninsula has experienced heavy rains and high seas, which have caused regional flooding and treacherous beach conditions. The Star Tribune reported that two people died in high surf in Cabo San Lucas, and that there are power outages, fallen trees and flooding in various parts of Los Cabos. Although Genevieve is tracking out to sea, a Hurricane Warning remains in place for at-risk areas of Southern Baja California.

According to NOAA two more systems are being tracked in the Eastern Pacific Region. As of 5:00 a.m. (PDT) the two disturbances have a 60% and 30% chance respectively of becoming cyclones in five days.

Meanwhile, two tropical weather systems are being tracked in the Atlantic basin. As of 11:00 a.m. (ADT) Tropical Storm Laura was located a couple of hundred miles east of the northern Leeward Islands, heading west at approximately 18 mph. NOAA advises that Tropical Storm Warnings are in effect for portions of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico today and through Saturday. Conditions may extend to the northern coasts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, the southeastern Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands Saturday and Sunday.

The second disturbance is not yet named but is shown as a tropical depression bringing heavy rain and gusty winds to Nicaragua, Honduras and the Bay Islands. NOAA reports that this depression is expected to strengthen as it crosses the northwestern Caribbean Sea, and will be near or at hurricane strength when it reaches the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, late Saturday. A Tropical Storm Warning and Hurricane Watch are in effect. Although strengthening is expected, it is too soon to know to what degree, and exactly which locations it will reach.

You can track Genevieve, Laura and the developing weather systems on NOAA’s Hurricane Center web page.