Tropical Storm Alvin strengthens off Mexicos coast in Eastern Pacific

Tropical Storm Alvin formed in the Eastern Pacific south of Mexico on Thursday, becoming the first named storm of the 2025 hurricane season.A tropical storm has maximum sustained winds between 39 and 73 mph, an upgrade from a tropical depression.Tropical Storm Alvin is located about 500 miles south-southeast of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula and is currently being monitored by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) as it continues to churn over the open waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean.Tropical Storm Alvin is expected to remain far enough offshore that impacts along the Mexican coast will be limited to heightened swells and increased rip currents along beaches.These can be a safety hazard for anyone who ventures into the water.The tropical storm is not only the first of the season in the Eastern Pacific, but across all ocean basins that make up the Northern Hemisphere.The amount of inactivity is a bit unusual, with forecasters usually tracking the first significant tropical cyclone in the Western Pacific by April, with the first system in the Eastern Pacific by early June.FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross explained that Tropical Storm Alvin formed in the Eastern Pacific when hurricane season would typically get going.“The Eastern Pacific season kicked off right on schedule.

The ocean water off the southern coast of Mexico is always quite warm, and this year the atmospheric pattern over that part of the ocean is quite conducive for development,” Norcross said.“Alvin has a good chance of intensifying significantly over the open water.As it tracks farther north, however, the water cools quickly.

So, if Alvin affects Cabo San Lucas or nearby areas in northern Mexico, for example, it looks likely to be a weakening storm.”The composition of water temperatures in the Eastern Pacific makes the evolution of Tropical Storm Alvin a bit complex and will impact future tropical cyclones.There are large pockets...