Pacific tropical storm Erick becomes hurricane
Tropical storm Erick was upgraded to a hurricane on Wednesday. Image from National Hurricane Center.
June 18 (UPI) -- Pacific Tropical Storm Erick was upgraded to a hurricane early Monday morning, with sustained winds of 75 miles per hour.
In its 7 EDT update, the National Hurricane Center said that Erick was situated about 160 miles south-southeast of Puerto Angel, Mexico, and about 275 miles southeast of Punta Maldonado, Mexico, moving at 7 mph.
Southern Mexico could begin experiencing hurricane conditions and flash flooding Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, the advisory states.
Acapulco to Puerto Angel is currently under a hurricane warning, while a hurricane watch has been issued for the area west of Acapulco to Tecpan de Galeana and East of Puerto Angel to Bahias de Huatulco.
The region betwen Puerto Angel and Salina Cruz is under a tropical storm warning.
Oaxaca and Guerrero will receive between 8 and 16 inches of rain, with up to 20 inches, the NHC said.
"The rainfall will lead to life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain," the advisory states.
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Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Here's why Hurricane Erick is quickly strengthening into dangerous storm
Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] WASHINGTON (AP) — Having doubled in strength in less than a day and still expected to grow further, Hurricane Erick on Wednesday chugged through the ideal environment to power up quickly as it approached Mexico's southern Pacific Coast. This type of rapid intensification has become more common in a warmer climate , especially in the Atlantic and near the United States , which is not where Erick is now, scientists said. Last year, there were there 34 incidents of rapid intensification — when a storm gains at least 35 mph in 24 hours — which is about twice as many as average and causes problems with forecasting, according to the National Hurricane Center. Erick, an otherwise run-of-the-mill hurricane that's strong but not unusual, gained 50 mph in just 18 hours and was still powering up as it neared the coast. Because of where it's heading — near Acapulco — and it's rapid intensification, Erick brings back bad memories of deadly Otis , which seemed to come from out of nowhere to smack Mexico with a top-of-the-scale Category 5 hurricane in 2023. But Erick is no Otis, especially because of their timing. Erick is an early-season storm and Otis hit in October. Forming in October, Otis grew stronger by churning up deeper warmer water because it was later in the year. Erick is early in the year and the deep water it would churn up is cooler and doesn't fuel rapid intensification. Even so, the surface water is plenty hot enough, said MIT hurricane scientist Kerry Emanuel. All the ingredients are otherwise perfect for Erick's power-up, said University at Albany atmospheric scientist Kristen Corbosiero. Dry air often stops rapid intensification, but Erick hasn't run into dry air and the atmosphere around it is extremely moist, she said. It's got a good stormy eye forming and has what would be the ideal shape of a strengthening storm, she said. The water around Erick is warm enough for a storm to form and power up quickly, but it's not warmer than normal for this time of year, so that's not odd, Corbosiero said. However, it's warm enough that it is 'a pretty safe bet″ that it will continue to gain strength until it gets close to land, Emanuel said. Studies have linked human-caused climate change in general to more bouts of rapid intensification, as well as wetter and slower storms, Corbosiero said. But it would take more study, usually after the storm hits, to find any potential link between global warming and Erick in particular, if there is one, she said. Aside from its quick powering up, Erick 'doesn't seem to be particularly unusual,' Corbosiero said. The only thing that's unusual so far is that this is the fifth eastern Pacific storm a month into the season there, which is a little more active than normal, said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. And it's likely that when Erick hits, it will be the strongest storm to make landfall in that part of Mexico this early in the season, he said. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at .
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Hurricane Erick has formed in the Pacific. It could bring rain, humidity to California
Tropical Storm Erick in the Pacific has officially strengthened into Hurricane Erick and is expected to bring "life-threatening flash floods" to portions of southern Mexico Wednesday night and Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center. The hurricane center said Wednesday morning the storm, the second hurricane of the Pacific season, was located about 160 miles south-southeast of Puerto Angel, Mexico with maximum sustained winds of about 75 mph with higher gusts. Hurricane center forecasters said "rapid strengthening" is expected Wednesday, and the system may reach "major hurricane strength" when it approaches the coast of southern Mexico Thursday. The center of Erick is expected to approach the southern coast of Mexico late Wednesday and move inland or be near the coast on Thursday. Forecasters said Erick's wind speeds could reach 111 mph if strengthening occurs as forecast, which would make it a Category 3 hurricane on the Shaffir Simpson wind speed scale. Hurricane Erick, like most Eastern Pacific hurricanes, is unlikely to directly impact California in terms of strong winds or a direct landfall. However, according to forecasters, it could still indirectly affect Southern California by causing high surf, rip tides, humid conditions, and sometimes thunderstorms in inland or mountain areas. Erick is forecast to produce rainfall totals of 8 to 16 inches, with maximum totals of 20 inches, across the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero. The rainfall will lead to "life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain," the hurricane center said Wednesday. Additionally, rainfall totals between 3 to 8 inches are expected across the Mexican states of Chiapas, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco. The hurricane center said swells generated by Erick are expected to begin affecting the southern coast of Mexico later Wednesday, and these swells are "likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions." A hurricane warning is in effect for Acapulco to Puerto Angel, while a hurricane watch is in effect for west of Acapulco to Tecpan de Galeana, as well as east of Puerto Angel to Bahias de Huatulco. A tropical storm warning is in effect for east of Puerto Angel to Salina Cruz. 'Heat dome' incoming: Scorching temperatures in the forecast to kick off summer This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time. Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest-performing models to help make its forecasts. Hurricanes are born in the tropics, above warm water. Clusters of thunderstorms can develop over the ocean when water temperatures exceed 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If conditions are right, the clusters swirl into a storm known as a tropical wave or tropical depression. A tropical depression becomes a named tropical storm once its sustained wind speeds reaches 39 miles per hour. When its winds reach 74 mph, the storm officially becomes a hurricane. This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Hurricane Erick forms in the Pacific: See path, California impacts
Fast Company
an hour ago
- Fast Company
Hurricane Erick tracker: Live maps and real-time tools show the storm's projected path toward Mexico
With the 2025 hurricane season underway in the Eastern Pacific, Hurricane Erick is picking up speed as it heads toward southern Mexico, strengthening to a Category 2 hurricane on Wednesday afternoon, according to NOAA's National Hurricane Center. Erick is currently located in the eastern Pacific Ocean about 105 miles south of Puerto Ángel. NOAA's National Hurricane Center forecast that Erick would rapidly intensify, strengthen throughout Wednesday, and reach 'major hurricane strength' Wednesday night or early Thursday as it approaches the coast of southern Mexico. The storm is expected to bring damaging winds and 'life-threatening flash floods' with 8 to 16 inches of rain (20 inches maximum) across the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero that could lead to mudslides. It could also bring 2 to 4 inches (6 inches maximum) across Chiapas, Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco and Mexico City—and Guatemala. Erick is expected to move inland or be near the coast on Thursday, prompting a hurricane warning from Acapulco to Puerto Angel and a hurricane watch for west of Acapulco to Tecpan de Galeana. The storm will produce heavy rainfall across portions of Central America and southwest Mexico through this week, and a dangerous storm surge is expected to produce coastal flooding. How to track Hurricane Erick's path in real time Erick, the fifth named storm for the current Eastern Pacific hurricane season, is currently traveling northeast with sustained winds of about 85 mph, a maximum of 100 mph, with higher gusts and hurricane-force winds extending 15 miles out from its center. It is expected to turn northwest later on Wednesday.
