Ken Clark

Share |

And the Tropics Come Alive

May 14, 2012; 1:47 PM

The first tropical depression of the season for either the Atlantic or Pacific formed this morning in the eastern Pacific. More than likely, the first tropical storm of the season will be with us late tonight or tomorrow.

A well-formed depression continues to show signs of organization some 655 miles south of Manzanillo Mexico. There is a nice representation on satellite pictures and just a little more organization and we will have Tropical Storm Aletta.

But even if Aletta does form, it will have a short life. Conditions become harsh by Wednesday and beyond as a trough to the north brings a lot of shear. This whole system in the meantime will head west and is not a threat to any land mass.

This year could prove interesting in the Eastern Pacific. I think it will be an active year with more named storms and hurricanes than the last two years. Last year was a strange year. There was only 11 named storms but 10 of the 11 were hurricanes and 6 of those 10 were major hurricanes. In 2010 the eastern Pacific was as quiet as a mouse with only 7 named storms and 3 hurricanes.

Here are the averages for the eastern Pacific.

I believe it will be an above normal year for named storms, hurricanes and major hurricanes with potential impact on at least a couple of occasions for the southern Baja.

The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of AccuWeather, Inc. or AccuWeather.com

Comments

Comments left here should adhere to the AccuWeather.com Community Guidelines. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.

More Western U.S. Weather Blog

  • Big Warmup in Southwest

    April 16, 2013; 1:03 PM ET

    Coachella Music Festival temperatures are likely to be in the middle to upper 90s this weekend.

  • Cold Storm Coming for the Northwest

    April 11, 2013; 12:14 PM ET

    If headed into or through any mountain areas, know ahead of time that snow levels are likely to drop to 2,000 feet in the Washington Cascades

  • Strong Winds Will Create Havoc

    April 5, 2013; 12:25 PM ET

    It seems highly likely that there will be a period of very windy weather from Sunday afternoon through Monday

About This Blog

Ken Clark
Ken Clark's Western U.S. weather blog tackles daily weather events with commentary from one of the most experienced and trusted Western U.S. weather experts.