There is an increasing potential for tropical development off the southern coast of Mexico. A tropical depression is expected to form in the Eastern Pacific over the weekend.
Tropical activity has been on the rise in the region since the beginning of the hurricane season on May 15, with Tropical Storm Alvin forming and dissipating quickly last week. The remnants of the storm brought heavy rain and thunderstorms to the Desert Southwest.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reports that an area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms associated with a tropical wave in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, several hundred miles off the southern coast of Mexico, show potential for development. Favorable environmental conditions are predicted to support the gradual strengthening of the system, with the NHC anticipating the formation of a tropical depression as it tracks westward or west-northwest at approximately 10 mph.
Currently, the NHC assesses the likelihood of development as low over the next two days, increasing to high over the following week. If the disturbance intensifies into a tropical depression and further strengthens, it will evolve into a tropical storm and be named Barbara.
