As October comes to a close, hurricane season is not quite ready for its curtain call. The National Hurricane Center is currently monitoring two areas of potential development.

Invest 96L is an area of disorganized showers and storms associated with an area of low pressure moving west northwestward toward the Bahamas. However, any window of formation is quickly closing as it moves into more hostile environmental conditions with strong upper level winds and dry air. It’s been given a 20% chance to become a depression or storm. Regardless of development, it is expected to be picked up by an upper level trough and steered away from Florida.

The other area is a disturbance over the eastern Caribbean Sea, moving westward. This one has more favorable chances as conditions appear more conducive for gradual development. The NHC has tagged it with a 10% chance of formation over the next 2 days and 50% over the next 7 days. We will continue to watch and have updates on this.

While tropical activity tends to diminish in November, hurricane season continues through November 30th.

Hurricane Otis exploded in strength just hours before making landfall as a historically strong Category 5.

Hurricane Otis made landfall 5 miles south of Acapulco, with 165mph winds, around 1:30am Wednesday morning.

Otis’ winds increased from 65mph to 145mph in just a 12-hour window as the storm approached Mexico’s Pacific Coast.

A hurricane specialist with Colorado State University said, “That’s the fastest 12-hour intensification rate in the eastern North Pacific in the satellite era, breaking the old record of 75mph/12hr set by Patricia in 2015.”

Otis is the strongest hurricane to make landfall on Mexico’s Pacific side and the first Eastern Pacific hurricane to make landfall as a Category 5.

Not only did the storm rapidly intensify, it happened overnight and caught many in southern Mexico off-guard as the forecast changed so quickly.

The National Hurricane Center said Tuesday night, “A nightmare scenario is unfolding for southern Mexico this evening with rapidly intensifying Otis approaching the coastline….. There are no hurricanes on record even close to this intensity for this part of Mexico.”

Hurricane Otis is now down to a Category 1 hurricane with 80mph sustained winds on Wednesday morning. Hurricane Otis is currently spinning about 100 miles northwest of Acapulco, moving north-northwest at 10mph.

Otis will continue to weaken as it moves inland over Mexico’s higher terrain areas and eventually dissipate. This storm will still produce heavy rain and damaging winds through Thursday across southern Mexico.