ATLANTIC & PACIFIC HURRICANE ACTIVITY & PREDICTIONS 2014
May 24 at 1309 EDT
(1009 PDT)
May 22 at 1805 EDT
(1505 PDT)
Hurricane Amanda becomes the strongest May cyclone on record
Tropical Depression
One-E forms in the eastern North Pacific basin
Personal Insights
Observations
Amanda became one for the record books due to her early appearance on stage in the eastern North Pacific basin and her strength in May. Click on the icon below to see Amanda's time-line.
Amanda - first tropical storm of the eastern North Pacific
Recap of Major Hurricane Amanda May 22 - 29
On May 22 I took the above photograph and from it came to realize that the eastern North Pacific tropical cyclone (hurricane) season is underway and I should keep an eye on current developments. NOAA also put out their outlook for the current season and they are calling for an average to above-average active season. Because I saw this image depicting a strong formation underway I realized it won't be long before we see our first noteworhty development.
Saturday afternoon while going to work I saw the above cloud formation in the sky. As I pondered it I came to realize that it was depicting Hurricane Amanda. The image looks like a dinosaur or Godzilla and just as Godzilla is the King of Monsters, so too Amanda will become a Monster of a Storm. Interestingly, Hurricane Amanda goes on to become a Category 4 Major Hurricane the following day thus becoming Queen of the Cyclones for the month of May.
NOAA has been following developments of a low pressure system for a couple of days and on May 22 at 1400 hrs PDT (1700 EDT) issues its first advisory on the first tropical depression of the 2014 eastern North Pacific season. The system forms well southeast of Mexico and was expected to strengthen over the coming days evolving into a storm within the next 24 hours.
Hurricane activity starts off by setting a new record. Amanda becomes a Category 1 hurricane by May 24 at 800 hrs PDT (1100 EDT). By 0200 hrs May 25 (0500 EDT) Amanda has intensified to a strong Category 4 Major Hurricane and six hours later has sustained winds of 155 mph, 250 km/h, just shy of a Category 5 (157 mph) and becomes the most powerful tropical cyclone ever recorded for the month of May.
Amanda stayed out at sea but that did not stop her from causing fatalities on the mainland in Mexico. Three deaths are attributed to the storm's strength and reported by EL UNIVERSAL a Mexican newspaper.
