Tropical Storm Bud Stirs off Coast of Mexico
22-May-12
Tropical Storm Bud formed in the eastern north Pacific this morning, Tuesday, May 22, at 5 am EST. Bud is the second named storm of the 2012 East Pacific hurricane season. At 11 am EST, Bud was 545 miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. Some strengthening is forecast over the next 48 hours, and Bud could become a hurricane by Wednesday night. It is too early to know if Bud will directly affect the western coastline of Mexico.
Tropical Storm Bud Potential Storm Track - May 22, 2012
Source: National Hurricane Center (NHC)
At 11 am EST, the center of Bud was located at latitude 11.1N, longitude 104.0W, about 485 miles south-southwest of Zihuatanejo, Mexico and moving to the west-northwest at 13 mph. The forecast track has Bud turning to the northwest later today, and then to the north by Thursday.
The extended track shows Bud moving to the north-northeast on Friday as an 80 mph Category 1 hurricane. By the weekend, however, the forecast has Bud slowing and weakening to a strong tropical storm, stalling offshore some 75 miles south-southwest of Manzanillo. There is uncertainty in the forecast storm track and intensity to ascertain whether Bud is likely to impact the coastline of Mexico.
EQECAT will continue to monitor this event and provide updates as more information becomes available.
Meanwhile, in the Atlantic, Alberto was downgraded to a depression last night at 11 pm EST. Today, May 22, 11 am EST, the center of Alberto was 170 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, NC, with maximum winds of 35 mph. The system was also re-classed to a post-tropical cyclone low, meaning it has lost its tropical characteristics as it moves to the northeast into the North Atlantic, away from US mainland.
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