Record early season hurricane activity in eastern Pacific
Record early season hurricane activity in eastern Pacific
The tropical Atlantic has yet to see its first tropical storm of the 2014 hurricane season, but the eastern Pacific has never witnessed storms so strong so early (in available records).
First, hurricane Amanda became the strongest May hurricane in the eastern Pacific on record, when its peak winds soared to 155 mph (high-end category 4 level) on May 25. Now, just over two weeks later, the eastern Pacific has given birth to the powerhouse hurricane Cristina whose maximum sustained winds also reached 155 mph as of today (see the 11 a.m. ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center).
With Hurricanes Amanda and Cristina reaching category 4 status, this is the first time there have been two category 4 hurricanes through June in the eastern North Pacific basin since the beginning of the satellite era in 1966, the National Hurricane Center writes. Prior to Cristina, the earliest second category 4 hurricane was Hurricane Elida in 1984, which reached that threshold on July 1.
In 12 hours alone overnight into this morning, Cristinas peak winds increased a phenomenal 65 mph (50 to 60 knots). The National Hurricane Center called the rate of intensification extraordinary.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2014/06/12/cristina-explodes-record-early-season-hurricane-activity-in-eastern-pacific/