The earliest tropical storm on record in the eastern North Pacific basin has formed: the Miami-based National Hurricane Center has upgraded Tropical Depression One-E to Tropical Storm Andres The official start of the eastern North Pacific hurricane season is May 15th while the Atlantic and Central Pacific hurricane seasons begin on June 1. No storms have formed in the Atlantic or Central Pacific basins yet for the 2021 season.
In the first update on the storm issued by the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Andres is centered over the eastern North Pacific Ocean about 620 miles south-southeast of the southern tip of Baja California. It’s moving toward the northwest near 6 mph and this general motion is expected to continue through Monday. According to the NHC, satellite data indicates that the maximum sustained winds have increased to near 40 mph with higher gusts. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center.
Fortunately, it doesn’t look like this storm will threaten any land. The NHC says there is little change in strength is forecast to occur today and tonight; in fact, they say gradual weakening is expected to begin on Monday, with the system becoming a remnant low on Tuesday.
