Eastern Pacific Low Sending Swells to Mexico, Central America, May Become Tropically Depressed
Posted by JAC on 6/11/2009, 2:42 pm
The low pressure system sitting 1,000 miles away from Baja California in the eastern Pacific Ocean now has a very good chance of becoming that region's first tropical depression of the season. But it doesn't have to be tropical to cause trouble on the coastlines. It's already helping generate large and dangerous breaking surf along the coasts from Baja California to Colombia.

At 8:00 a.m. EDT on Thursday, June 11, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Fla. said that satellite images indicate that a tropical depression could be forming about 1000 miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. This is the area they've been watching since June 8. The NHC said that there's now a chance "greater than 50 percent" that it will be classified as a tropical depression, and advisories could be started later today.

Meanwhile, the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite is keeping track of the low. It captured an infrared image of the Low on June 11 at 5:23 a.m. EDT (2:23 a.m. PDT). The storm's lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops. Those temperatures are as cold as or colder than 220 degrees Kelvin or minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (F). The blue areas are around 240 degrees Kelvin, or minus 27F. The orange temperatures in the ocean are 80F (300 degrees Kelvin) or warmer, which is what is helping to strengthen and organize the storm.

The Low is helping to stir up the surf along the eastern Pacific coastlines from Central America to Mexico. The National Hurricane Center issued a special bulletin on June 11 about a long period of high swell for those areas.

The NHC said "Very long period south to southwesterly swell is emanating from a strong cyclone that has begun to affect the coasts of Central America and Mexico overnight, and will build during the next 48 hours." The swell is expected to reach its highest levels over the weekend, and will create large and dangerous breaking surf along the coasts from Baja California to Colombia. The NHC said "Long period swell of 2 to 2.5 meters (7 to 8 feet) will reach the coastlines from southern Mexico to Panama at intervals of 15 to 16 seconds. Select deep water breaks and beaches across this area may see breaking waves approaching 6 meters (20 feet) during the weekend." Beachgoers along those coastal areas should stay out of the water.

Text credit: Rob Gutro, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center





This infrared Aqua satellite AIRS image shows the Low's thunderstorms (purple and blue) are getting well organized in a circular shape.
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In this thread:
EPAC Finally Spinning Up a TC - JAC, 6/10/2009, 10:19 pm
  • Eastern Pacific Low Sending Swells to Mexico, Central America, May Become Tropically Depressed - JAC, 6/11/2009, 2:42 pm
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