Hurricane Emilia 2012: Emilia Strengthens to Category 2 Hurricane in Eastern Pacific
Hurricane Emilia has surged to life in the eastern Pacific Ocean today, joining Hurricane Daniel in swirling over the waters off North America’s western coast.
Emilia, the fifth named storm of the Eastern Pacific hurricane season, first formed as a tropical storm on Saturday night, and strengthened into a hurricane early in the morning of July 9.
Already packing 110 mph, category-two-force winds, Emilia is centered about 710 miles (1,145 kilometers) south of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California and is moving west-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph).
According to the National Hurricane Center’s 5pm advisory, “Hurricane Emilia may “become a major hurricane” — or a Category 3 storm, with sustained winds in excess of 111 mph — “later today or tonight.”
Despite the growing intensity of the storm, the NHC reported that Emilia posed no threat to land and no coastal watches or warnings are in effect.
Meanwhile, farther west over the Pacific, Hurricane Daniel — the forth named storm of the Eastern Pacific Hurricane season — had maximum sustained winds near 85 mph (140 kph).
The hurricane, which is currently 1,270 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja and moving west at 15 mph, is expected to weaken slowly during the next 48 hours as it encounters colder waters in the Pacific.
Daniel also posed no threat to land, the hurricane center said.
For more information on Hurricane Emilia and Hurricane Daniel (including their projected paths), check out the following video from Hawaii News Now:
