Tropical Storm Cristina Nears Hurricane Status in the Eastern Pacific

Tropical Storm Cristina has formed in the East Pacific basin within the past couple days and is likely to become a hurricane as early as tomorrow morning as it moves generally Northwestward.

cone graphic — National Hurricane Center (NHC)’s cone on 05E CRISTINA

As of 9:00 pm MDT (0300 UTC), Cristina is located around 16.4N, 108.6W which is well South-Southeast of Baja California Sur. The storm currently has 1-minute sustained winds of 65 mph (100 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 995 mb (hPa) and it is moving NW at 13 mph. Cristina is forecasted to reach hurricane status as early as tomorrow morning and sustain minimal-hurricane force winds of 75 mph (120 km/h) into Saturday before weakening as it traverses into an area of lower Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs).

At the moment, there are no hazards affecting land and it is anticipated that it stays that way. As with most hurricanes in this basin, Cristina is likely to stay well out to sea, sustaining a very significant distance from land.

[Image of probabilities of 34-kt winds] — National Hurricane Center (NHC) Graphic showing the probability of tropical storm force winds from 05E CRISTINA

For further information, refer to your local meteorological office. Force Thirteen is also providing more updates on Cristina and other storms around the world on their youtube channel, facebook and twitter accounts.