Tropical Storm Kay Intensifies Into a Hurricane as It Continues to Move Towards Southwestern US and Mexico

Tropical Storm Kay, which hovers over the Eastern Pacific basin, intensified into a Category 1 hurricane on the afternoon of Monday, September 5. The National Hurricane Center (NHC), along with other US meteorologists, are expecting Hurricane Kay to bring heavy rainfall and strong winds along the Pacific coastline of western Mexico and southwestern US in the coming days.

NHC Key Messages

According to the NHC weather advisory as of 3:00 a.m. MDT (local time) on Tuesday, September 6, the following are key messages for Hurricane Kay:

• Torrential rainfall from Kay could trigger flash flooding and landslides across parts of western Mexico, including the Baja California peninsula, until the evening of Thursday, September 8.
• Tropical storm conditions are anticipated over areas of the southern Baja California peninsula starting the morning of Wednesday, September 7, when a tropical storm warning is now in effect.
• There is an increased risk of significant wind, surf conditions, and rainfall across the central Baja California peninsula later this week. The NHC says a tropical storm or hurricane watch could be issued later in the region on Tuesday.

In its previous forecasts, which were also covered by Nature World News, in recent days, the US hurricane agency projects Kay to reach the southern tip of Southwest US. However, it is still unclear which specific trajectory the hurricane will take., as it can only either go north or east.

Mexico Tropical Storm Warning

Hurricane Kay, which currently navigates the western coast of Mexico, was a result of the heating up of the Pacific Ocean, according to Fox Weather.

The NHC issued a Tropical Storm Watch for the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula from Cabo San Lucas to Puerto Andresito in the Pacific side and Loreto in the Gulf of California side, as cited by the US media outlet.

Kay is currently traversing around 295 miles southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, and about 500 miles southeast of the southern tip of Baja California, with a peak maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour miles per hour

Fatalities Reported

Hurricane Kay intensified from its tropical storm strength a day after killing three people in Mexico's southwestern state of Guerrero. Over the weekend, Kay reportedly damaged houses, over flowed rivers, and fell trees in its path of destruction in Guerrero and the port of Acapulco.

According to Roberto Arroyo, the secretary of civil protection of Guerrero, three people have died since the onset of the cyclonic condition but the climatic phenomenon starts to move away from the Guerrero coast, as cited by Reuters.

Hurricane Kay

AccuWeather meteorologists have also been monitoring the Category 1 hurricane since it intensified off Mexico's Pacific coast. Forecast highlight the possibility of a storm surge due to hazardous seas, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alan Reppert.

The strengthening of Tropical Storm Kay was due to conducive atmospheric conditions and plenty of warm water at its disposal.

Kay has become the eight storm of the East Pacific hurricane season to reach hurricane status. The system is expected to further organize and gain wind intensity by midweek, according to the weather forecasting company.