1st hurricane of 2020 emerges in East Pacific
By
Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Jul 20, 2020 7:35 AM EST
A health professional in Florida believes more firsthand experience with COVID19 will eventually change how people prepare for the pandemic just like how people prepare for hurricanes.
After forming in the East Pacific late Monday, Douglas strengthened into the first hurricane in the Atlantic or East Pacific of the year early Wednesday.
Douglas was the second of two tropical waves that strengthened into tropical depressions in less than 12 hours on Monday. The first wave strengthened to Tropical Depression 7-E early Monday, but became a non-tropical low on Tuesday.
Douglas churns over the open East Pacific early on July 22, 2020. (Image/CIRA RAMMB)
Douglas is positioned the middle of the ocean and well away from land masses that it could impact. Douglas is moving west at a speed of 15 mph and has maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. It is currently located about 1,500 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico and 1,785 miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii.
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Douglas is forecast to move westward, but south of where T.D. 7-E tracked earlier this week. By not following exactly behind the depression, Douglas will move into undisturbed warm waters, giving it a high chance to strengthen in the coming days.
There are some indications that Douglas could strengthen to a Category 2 or greater hurricane.
Later in the week, Douglas is forecast to move northwestward, out of the core of warmer waters, allowing it to lose some wind strength, and pushing into the Central Pacific Ocean Basin.
No matter it's strength, Douglas is not expected to impact land through at least Saturday. Instead, shipping interests in the area should be aware of gusty winds, downpours and rough seas.
"If Douglas stays on a steady west-northwest path, it could pass near or just south of the Hawaiian islands late this weekend," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty.
Even just a brief brush from a tropical depression or storm could lead to rougher surf and strong waves for the southern beaches. If Douglas holds together enough, the outer bands of the tropical system could bring waves of heavy rainfall to parts of the island chain, especially the Big Island.
The first tropical system that formed in the East Pacific Ocean this week was Tropical Depression 7-E, which developed early on Monday morning. AccuWeather meteorologists began tracking the beginnings of the depression when it was a tropical wave since it first came off the coast of Central America during the middle of last week.
As 7-E moved through some warm water into early Tuesday morning, it was able to hold on to it's depression characteristics. However, hitting a pocket of cooler water caused T.D. 7-E to dissipate late on Tuesday.
Warm water is one of the prime ingredients needed for tropical systems to form and hold their strength.
Tropical Storm Cristina, which traversed the East Pacific earlier in July, nearly became the first hurricane of 2020, but it fell just short of Category 1 hurricane strength.
The Atlantic Ocean basin has also been devoid of any hurricanes so far this season, but is still running ahead of normal with six named storms already this season. AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring the potential for several tropical threats in the basin this week.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Hurricane
1st hurricane of 2020 emerges in East Pacific
By Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Jul 20, 2020 7:35 AM EST
A health professional in Florida believes more firsthand experience with COVID19 will eventually change how people prepare for the pandemic just like how people prepare for hurricanes.
After forming in the East Pacific late Monday, Douglas strengthened into the first hurricane in the Atlantic or East Pacific of the year early Wednesday.
Douglas was the second of two tropical waves that strengthened into tropical depressions in less than 12 hours on Monday. The first wave strengthened to Tropical Depression 7-E early Monday, but became a non-tropical low on Tuesday.
Douglas churns over the open East Pacific early on July 22, 2020. (Image/CIRA RAMMB)
Douglas is positioned the middle of the ocean and well away from land masses that it could impact. Douglas is moving west at a speed of 15 mph and has maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. It is currently located about 1,500 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico and 1,785 miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Douglas is forecast to move westward, but south of where T.D. 7-E tracked earlier this week. By not following exactly behind the depression, Douglas will move into undisturbed warm waters, giving it a high chance to strengthen in the coming days.
There are some indications that Douglas could strengthen to a Category 2 or greater hurricane.
Later in the week, Douglas is forecast to move northwestward, out of the core of warmer waters, allowing it to lose some wind strength, and pushing into the Central Pacific Ocean Basin.
No matter it's strength, Douglas is not expected to impact land through at least Saturday. Instead, shipping interests in the area should be aware of gusty winds, downpours and rough seas.
"If Douglas stays on a steady west-northwest path, it could pass near or just south of the Hawaiian islands late this weekend," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty.
Even just a brief brush from a tropical depression or storm could lead to rougher surf and strong waves for the southern beaches. If Douglas holds together enough, the outer bands of the tropical system could bring waves of heavy rainfall to parts of the island chain, especially the Big Island.
Related:
The first tropical system that formed in the East Pacific Ocean this week was Tropical Depression 7-E, which developed early on Monday morning. AccuWeather meteorologists began tracking the beginnings of the depression when it was a tropical wave since it first came off the coast of Central America during the middle of last week.
As 7-E moved through some warm water into early Tuesday morning, it was able to hold on to it's depression characteristics. However, hitting a pocket of cooler water caused T.D. 7-E to dissipate late on Tuesday.
Warm water is one of the prime ingredients needed for tropical systems to form and hold their strength.
Tropical Storm Cristina, which traversed the East Pacific earlier in July, nearly became the first hurricane of 2020, but it fell just short of Category 1 hurricane strength.
The Atlantic Ocean basin has also been devoid of any hurricanes so far this season, but is still running ahead of normal with six named storms already this season. AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring the potential for several tropical threats in the basin this week.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo