As of 11:00 am PDT Aug 5 2016…

An area of cloudiness and disorganized thunderstorms is located

Near the Gulf of Tehuantepec. This disturbance is expected

To move west-northwestward and merge with the remnants of Atlantic

Tropical Storm Earl, and an area of low pressure is forecast to form

Near the southwestern coast of Mexico over the weekend. Conditions

Appear conducive for development, and a tropical depression is

Likely to form early next week while the low moves northwestward

Toward the Baja California peninsula.

*Formation chance through 5 days…high…80 percent

National Hurricane Center

The strong storm and short lived hurricane Earl has churned across Belize and Guatemala. He is now churning inland with a large portion of the circulation is over the southern Bay of Campeche. This should keep him alive long enough to meet up with a strong storm coming up the Pacific Coast of  Mexico. This storm will be Javier, barring a surprising shift in the weather. Javier will gain additional strength as he swallows up Earl and continues to skirt the Mexican Coast.

Just as with Atlantic hurricanes, it is hard to say, several days in advance, how strong and how close to the coast Javier will remain. He could ride into the mouth of the Gulf of California and wreck havoc in Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara or more likely, Cabo San Lucas. Of course he could drift wide and the Mexican coast would be spared.

Typically, tropical storms of the Eastern North Pacific form a bit further off the coast and move nearly due west. Javier is taking a track closer to the monster storm of last season that hit a fairly underpopulated stretch of Mexican coastline with winds of nearly 250 MPH!

Whether you have interests in Central America or Mexico, this is a good reminder that storms can pop up and strengthen rapidly this time of year. This is a good time to be sure you have all your emergency supplies well stocked and to take inventory of your hurricane protection systems.  If you are unsure of your level of protection. Contact us for a free evaluation. We can give you the peace of mind of knowing your family and your property are safe from the ravages of storms.