Hurricane Kristy has prompted officials to issue warnings about potentially “life-threatening” conditions as it makes its way across the Pacific.
Transforming from the remnants of Tropical Storm Nadine, Kristy rapidly escalated from a Category 3 to a Category 5 hurricane this week, boasting maximum winds of 160 mph and becoming the strongest storm globally at the time.
As of Saturday, Kristy has weakened to a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 100 mph. Despite this downgrade, hazardous waves are still forecasted for the coast of Baja California, Mexico, over the weekend.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) cautioned, “Swells from Kristy are affecting the western Baja California peninsula and this impact will likely persist through the weekend, creating dangerous surf and rip current conditions. It’s advised to check with your local weather service for updates.”
Fortunately, Kristy is not anticipated to impact the U.S. and is expected to continue weakening, turning into a tropical storm by Sunday.
Initially named Nadine, the storm formed in the Caribbean Sea and moved westward over Belize and Central America last weekend. After losing its original identity over Mexico, the remnant system revitalized in the Pacific and became Kristy.
It’s important to note that Kristy is a Pacific hurricane, charting a different course than hurricanes in the Atlantic, like Helene and Milton, which have recently impacted parts of the U.S. While Atlantic hurricanes typically drift toward the U.S. or Caribbean, Pacific hurricanes usually head out to the open ocean, occasionally reaching Mexico or Hawaii.
Kristy marks the 11th named storm of the eastern Pacific season, which runs from May 15 to November 30, while the Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1. Each year, the eastern Pacific averages about 15 named storms, eight hurricanes, and four major hurricanes.
According to the NHC, the eastern Pacific basin spans from Mexico and Central America to 140°W. This year’s first eastern Pacific hurricane, Carlotta, appeared in early August, following two earlier tropical storms.