Many areas on the Pacific coast of Mexico are still recovering from hurricane-related damage and flooding from last month, and it looks like more trouble is on the way as Hurricane Raymond continues to strengthen. Hurricane Raymond rapidly progressed to a Category 3 storm early Monday, which is reportedly the first major Category 3 rated hurricane in the eastern Pacific this hurricane season.
Eastern Pacific, System 96E exploded over the weekend into Hurricane Raymond that now threatens the western coast of Mexico. Details to come
— NASAHurricane (@NASAHurricane) October 21, 2013
According to AccuWeather, Hurricane Raymond is just off the southwest coast of Mexico and will not have any impact on the United States. Hurricane Raymond’s top winds intensified from 40 mph on Sunday morning to 120 mph in just a 24-hour window and, and the storm is currently moving at a snail’s pace of 2 mph.
Even though some towns on the coast will receive a lot of rain, Hurricane Raymond isn’t projected to linger around for very long and should turn out to the sea on Tuesday. “The cold front coming down is what makes it [Raymond] turn to the left, but that is a model,” David Korenfeld, head of Mexico’s National Water Commission, said. “If that cold front comes down more slowly, this tropical storm…can get closer to the coast.” Check out Hurricane Raymond’s projected path:
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Thousands of people in Acapulco, Mexico had to be evacuated last month after Tropical Storm Manuel caused massive flooding, and up to 10,000 people are still displaced. Hurricane Raymond is just 160 miles away from Acapulco, and officials believe that it will be one of the areas to receive heavy rains from Hurricane Raymond. Officials are ready to evacuate residents if needed, but are still waiting. When the tropical storm hit last month, many people were stranded in Acapulco because the heavy rains caused flooding and mudslides, which shut down roads.
While the hurricane season on the Pacific coast has had eight storms progress to hurricanes, the 2013 hurricane season on the Atlantic coast has been relatively mild so far, with only two hurricanes. Hurricane season doesn’t end until the end of November, but so far, it is on pace to be the “least intense” season for the East coast since 1950.
Image via AccuWeather