UPDATE: Blanca weakens to Category 1 hurricane
Digital Reporter
Sunday, June 7, 2015, 5:02 PM - UPDATE: As of Sunday afternoon, the US National Hurricane Center is reporting that Blanca is a Category 1 hurricane, with sustained winds of 113 km/h. This follows a rapid intensification from Category 1 to Category 4 and then down to Category 2 from Tuesday afternoon to Thursday morning. Continued weakening is likely as the system will be moving over progressively cooler waters with fairly strong southerly to southwesterly shear, and interacting with the terrain of the Baja California peninsula.
Blanca has officially become the second hurricane of the eastern Pacific season, the U.S. National Hurricane Center announced.
It is situated 545 kilometres southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, and is tracking towards the Baja California peninsula.
A hurricane watch was issued for Baja California, from Cabo San Lucas to Santa Fe.
The resort town of Cabo San Lucas is still recovering from the destructive force of Hurricane Odile, a Category 3 storm that ravaged the coastal area in September.
Updated Blanca forecast map, as of Friday, June 5.
ANDRES IMPACTS BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA
After ballooning to Category 4 status Monday, Andres, the first Pacific hurricane of the season continues to weaken and has been downgraded to a post tropical cyclone as of Saturday.
Swells generated by the storm impacted the west coast of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula but the storm is headed to cooler waters.
There are no active watches or warnings associated with this storm.
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According to Weather Underground's director of meteorology Jeff Masters, the storm's emergence as a hurricane at 118.8°W means that Andres was the farthest west a Northeast Pacific hurricane has appeared during the month of May since accurate satellite records started in 1970.
The timing of the storm is unusual as well.
Hurricane season began on May 15 in the East Pacific, but the first major hurricane doesn't usually form in the region until mid-July.
Sources: Weather Underground | The Washington Post | The Weather Channel | The Associated Press
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