Hurricane Delores continued to strengthen Monday as the fourth named storm of the 2015 Eastern Pacific hurricane season churned in waters off the southwestern coast of Mexico.
Delores, positioned some 235 miles south-southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico, is forecast to strengthen during the next couple of days and should be upgraded to a major hurricane on Wednesday as it encounters a moist environment and warm ocean temperatures, forecasters with the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. A major hurricane features sustained 1-minute surface winds of at least 111 mph, or the equivalent of Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
The storm on Monday was packing 75 mph winds and moving west-northwest at 9 mph. It featured a ragged eye and hurricane-force winds extending outward up to 25 miles from the center of the storm. Tropical storm force winds extended outward up to 140 miles.
In addition to Delores, forecasters were also monitoring Tropical Storm Enrique, located about 1,270 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. Enrique was packing 40 mph winds and moving toward the northwest at 9 mph as of Monday afternoon.
Little change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours as the storm encounters wind shear and cooler ocean temperatures.
Meanwhile in the Central North Pacific basin, which is where Hawaii is located, Central Pacific Hurricane Center forecasters were monitoring the remnants of Tropical Storm Iune located some 550 miles southwest of Lihue, Kauai. Although showers and thunderstorms continue to develop with the feature, little organization is expected over the next couple of days because of unfavorable upper-level winds.
Elsewhere in the Central North Pacific, no tropical cyclones are expected through Wednesday morning.
The Central North Pacific and Eastern Pacific hurricane seasons continue through Nov. 30.
Get more hurricane-related content, including preparation tips, evacuation info and daily tropical weather updates, on our hurricane season page, sponsored by Clark Realty, at www.westhawaiitoday.com/hurricane-season-2015.
