Hurricane Amanda 2014 is the first and strongest storm to have hit the E.Pacific this May, reports the Associated Press. The May hurricane reportedly gained force while it was still far off of Mexico's Pacific coast on Sunday, and for brief while, Hurricane Amanda 2014 just became the strongest May hurricane on modern record for the Eastern Pacific before beginning to lose steam.
According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, the main body of the category-4 hurricane posed little threat to land. Though Hurricane Amanda 2014 was centered about 720 miles south of the southern tip of Baja California late Sunday, forecasters have predicted that it would rapidly weaken Monday while staying well out to sea at least through Friday.
Meanwhile, as Hurricane Amanda 2014 was forecasted to stay out to sea, according to Mexico's National Meteorological Service, rains to come with the storm were likely to soak much of western and central Mexico.
According to ABC News, the Eastern Pacific hurricane season where Hurricane Amanda 2014 is a part of has officially started on May 15, while the Atlantic season have yet to begin on June 1.
Even as Hurricane Amanda 2014 is the strongest reported hurricane this month, IBTimes reports that the storm isn't likely to hit any populated areas along its path. The news site reported that according tp experts, despite the enormous strength of Hurricane Amanda 2014, it will not pose any threat to any populated areas.
The storm was reportedly first seen by weather experts developing on May 19. Hurricane Amanda 2014 formed at far off the southwestern coast of Mexico as a low pressure area.
Stacy Stewart, a senior hurricane specialist at the U.S. National Hurricane Center said, "Amanda is now the strongest May hurricane on record in the eastern Pacific basin during the satellite era." Stewart says that the system is expected to continue moving northward, well off Mexico's Pacific coast.
U.S. National Hurricane Center scientists saw on Sunday afternoon that the maximum sustained winds of Hurricane Amanda 2014 had decreased to near 150 miles (240 kilometres) per hour.
Stewart said, "The [central dense overcast] has decreased in size and become more ragged looking during the past few hours, and the small eye is becoming less distinct and cloud-filled in visible imagery." She added, "Cold upwelling and occasional intrusions of dry mid-level air should slowly erode the inner-core convection over the next 24 hours or so. An eyewall replacement cycle is also possible, which would act to hasten the weakening process. By day two and beyond, the combination of cooler water, drier air, and increasing southerly vertical wind shear should induce more rapid weakening, and Amanda is forecast to degenerate into a non-convective remnant low by day 5."
Hurricane Amanda 2014 may be the strongest storm to hit the E.Pacific this month, but there is no telling if there are other stronger storms to form in the upcoming months. It is best that every individual prepare for any emergencies that may arise from these storms.
