Tropical Storm Agatha, the first named storm this year in the eastern Pacific, is moving toward the Mexican coast and is likely to become a hurricane, causing flash floods and life-threatening landslides, According to the National Hurricane Center on Saturday.
Agatha could make landfall on Monday as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, said Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist and spokesman for the Hurricane Center.
Agatha has traveled towards the Mexican countryside of Oaxaca and is expected to clear Wednesday morning. A hurricane warning has been posted for Mexico’s southern coast, from Salina Cruz to Punta Maldonado.
Mr. Feltgen said storms that originate in the eastern Pacific do not usually reach the United States as hurricanes. The same goes for Agatha, he said, though he added that if the storm “survives its passage through Mexico, its remnants could spill into the Gulf of Mexico.”
Agatha formed off the coast of Mexico and named on saturdaynot long after the official start of the eastern Pacific hurricane season, which ran from May 15 to November 30.
The Atlantic hurricane season – the term used to refer to hurricanes that form in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean – runs from June 1 to November 30. These areas are home to hurricanes and hurricanes. The most severe storm to hit the United States, Mr. Feltgen said.
This year on track is the first time since 2014 that a hurricane has not formed in the Atlantic before the regular season begins. However, this season usually doesn’t peak until mid-August to late October, and forecasters guess activity above the Atlantic average this year, with six to 10 hurricanes and three to six major hurricanes, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said this week.
If predictions come true, this year will be the seventh consecutive above-average hurricane season.
Causes for the predicted intensity of the storms cited by NOAA include a climate pattern known as La Niña, which affects wind speed and direction, and a particularly intense West African monsoon season, creating produce waves that can lead to powerful and long-lasting storms.
