Updated on January 8, 2016 12:50 PM (IST): Earliest central Pacific tropical storm
Tropical storm Pali becomes the earliest central Pacific tropical storm on record. It was named on late Thursday afternoon. As of Thursday evening, the Storm Pali was situated about 1,400 miles southwest of Honolulu in Hawaii.
This weather system is being hailed as an outcome of a historically active 2015 tropical season in the Pacific Ocean. Going a little down the memory lane, we have had the Tropical Depression Nine-C at the fag end of the year, which dissipated on January 1, 2016.
Since 1949, only two tropical storms have formed in the central Pacific this early, in the month of January. The first being tropical Storm Winona on January 13, 1989 and the second was Ekeka on January 28, 1992. The latter one had gained the strength of Category 3 hurricane amidst the moderate El Nino of 1991-92.
Updated on January 7, 2016 12:50 PM (IST): Rare January Tropical storm brewing in Central Pacific
A tropical disturbance, named as Invest 90-C, is likely to intensify into a tropical depression or tropical storm by the end of this week. Generally, January is not the month for tropical systems developing in the central Pacific.
On Wednesday morning, Invest 90-C was situated just 1,500 miles southwest of Honolulu in Hawaii.
The sea-surface temperature is sufficiently warm and the wind shear is relatively low in the vicinity of the system. This suggests that Invest 90-C may strengthen into a full-fledged tropical cyclone by the end of this week.
In case the weather system attains the status of a tropical storm, it would be named ‘Pali’. As of now it poses no immediate threat to the land area. Nevertheless, it has the potential to earliest eastern or central Pacific tropical cyclone on record.
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