Pacific storms intensify

Hurricane Celia has grown to a Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale but is expected to decrease in strength ovwer the next couple of days. The hurricane is still only a threat to shipping interests and with 130 MPH sustained winds, anyone planning to be in the eastern Pacific should make sure that their pathway steers clear of this storm.


A few miles to the southeast, Darby has grown to hurricane status with 80 MPH sustained winds and gusts up to 95 MPH. For the next 5 days, Hurricane Darby will remain a threat only to shipping interests but after that there is still indications that Darby may turn towards the Mexican coast. This turn to the northeast may be accompanied by a weakening of the system back to a tropical storm but it is still too early to predict this accurately.


Graphics courtesy of Weather Underground