Ivo to bring rough surf to Mexico as it tracks over the eastern Pacific
Ivo will unleash dangerous surf as it parallels the western coast of Mexico into Sunday.
On Wednesday afternoon, an area of disturbed weather off the western coast of Mexico organized and strengthened into Tropical Storm Ivo, the ninth named tropical system this year in the basin.
While strengthening occurred continued into Thursday, the window for Ivo to reach hurricane status has closed as the storm is entering much cooler waters west of Baja California. Ivo weakened to a tropical depression early Sunday.
"With the center of the storm so far offshore, heavy rainfall and mudslides will generally not be directly caused by the storm across northwestern Mexico, but rather a plume of tropical moisture that extends northward well to the east," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Rob Miller.
The risk of flash flooding and mudslides will be greatest along the western slopes of the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains into Saturday night. Those living or vacationing within the states of Sinaloa and Sonora should keep a watchful eye out for rapidly rising floodwaters and be ready to move to higher ground if necessary.
Flooding not only causes significant damage to structures and puts people at risk for drowning, but it's also dangerous for your health. Find out what you can do to prevent the health risks.
Motorists are reminded to never attempt to drive through flooded roadways as the water may be deeper than it appears and the road surface underneath could be compromised.
"Rough and dangerous surf from Ivo will impact west coastal areas of Mexico, including the southern and western coastal areas of Baja California," AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said.
The frequency and intensity of rip currents is also likely to increase. If caught in a rip current, do not panic or fight the current. Swim parallel to the coast until you escape the rip current. You should then swim at an angle, away from the current and toward the beach.
"Ivo will diminish before reaching waters off the coast of California," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
Even with the storm dissipating, an increase in surf action is likely along the south-facing beaches of Southern California late this weekend and early next week.
"Ivo may also spread some clouds into parts of California early next week," AccuWeather Meteorologist and western United States blogger Brian Thompson said.
Unfortunately, no meaningful rainfall will reach the parched Southwest.
Even with Ivo taking a more northern track than we have seen so far this season, it doesn't look like it will help to add much fuel to the North American monsoon, according to Thompson.
"With this system being a swing and a miss, there aren't going to be many opportunities for widespread monsoon thunderstorms through next week," he added.
Elsewhere in the East Pacific, an area of disturbed weather around 400 miles east-southeast of the Big Island of Hawaii may have a small chance to develop over the next few days. However, even if development were to occur, it is unlikely that this feature would directly impact Hawaii next week.
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