Tropical Storm Lorena develops in the Pacific and might affect the Southwest US.

Tropical Storm Lorena Forms Off Mexico’s Coast

Tropical Storm Lorena is set to develop in the Eastern Pacific Ocean early Tuesday, just off Mexico’s southwest coast. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) indicates that it may impact areas of the Baja California Peninsula later that day.

According to the Fox Forecast Center, some of the moisture associated with Lorena could amplify the monsoon conditions in the southwestern United States, leading to heavy rain expected to begin on Thursday or possibly early Friday.

Currently, the storm is located approximately 240 miles west of Manzanillo, Mexico. The NHC reported that Tropical Depression 12 E has evolved into a tropical storm, with winds now reaching sustained speeds of 45 mph.

To clarify, tropical storms are classified as cyclones with sustained winds ranging from 39 to 73 mph. So, this upgrade from a tropical depression signifies some serious strength.

The forecast suggests that Lorena will continue moving northwest along the Mexican coast, with the potential to affect parts of Baja California by Friday.

Heavy rains are anticipated to begin affecting Baja California by Wednesday, with projections of 4 to 8 inches of rainfall, according to the Fox Forecast Center.

The NOAA is considering sending Hurricane Hunter aircraft to investigate the storm on Wednesday afternoon.

Moisture from Lorena is expected to travel towards the southwestern U.S., significantly increasing atmospheric moisture from Thursday through the weekend, as noted by the Fox Forecast Center.

While Mexico is expected to experience the heaviest rains, regions in Arizona and New Mexico could also see significant rainfall.

This pattern is somewhat reminiscent of the heavy rains that impacted parts of Southern California and Nevada just last week, which were somewhat intensified by moisture left behind from the remnants of Tropical Storm Juliet.

Phoenix, notably, faced a strong sandstorm known as the Hubbu last week, a result of the ongoing monsoon conditions.

The East Pacific Basin has had a busy start to the season, generating ten named storms so far, with five evolving into hurricanes, three of which reached Category 3 or higher.