Hurricane John absorbs tropical storm off Mexico
UPDATE: 5 p.m. HST
Hurricane John was last located 2,477 miles south-southwest of Hilo today.
The storm is moving toward the northwest near 10 mph, and a faster northwestward motion is forecast for the next few days.
On the forecast track, John should pass to the southwest of Baja California Sur on Wednesday and Thursday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 105 mph with higher gusts. Little change in strength is forecast during the next day or so, and a weakening trend is expected to begin on Wednesday and continue into Friday.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles.
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Weather officials said John is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 1 to 2 inches over far southern Baja California Sur, with isolated maximum amounts of 3 inches through Wednesday.
Swells generated by John will affect portions of the coasts of southwestern Mexico and the southern portion of the Baja California peninsula during the next few days. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Previous coverage
MEXICO CITY >> A growing hurricane absorbed a tropical storm off Mexico’s Pacific Coast today and a new subtropical storm formed in the northern Atlantic, though none were projected to make landfall.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Tropical Storm Ileana was vanishing into the larger system of Hurricane John, which already had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph and was forecast to grow into a major hurricane tonight or Wednesday while south of the Baja California Peninsula. It was likely to bring rain to the southern part of the peninsula as well as heavy surf.
It was centered about 295 miles south of the southern tip of the Baja at midafternoon and was moving to the northwest at 10 mph, a track that would keep it out to sea.
Farther out in the Pacific was recently formed Tropical Storm Kristy, which had sustained winds of 50 mph and could become a hurricane. It was centered about 1,290 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja. It was moving west at 13 mph.
Meanwhile, Subtropical Storm Debby formed far out over the North Atlantic, but it was expected to be a short-lived storm.
Debby’s maximum sustained winds were near 40 mph and the U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm was expected to dissipate in a few days without threatening land.
Debby was centered about 1,195 miles west of the Azores and moving north near 15 mph.