EASTERN PACIFIC
Tropical Storm Rachel lost its hurricane status on September 29, as it was swirling about 500 miles west of the southern tip of Baja California. Rachel's movement is expected to remain slow and erratic over the next few days. It will eventually turn back towards the southwest, with its convection getting shallower and the system becoming steered by low-mid level winds.
Rachel should steadily weaken this week as it breaks over the open waters of the eastern Pacific. However, Rachel will stay well to the west of the Baja California peninsula, and therefore poses no threat to land.
With wind shear, or changing wind direction nearing Rachel, it has led to displacement of convection away from the center of circulation. Weakening is expected until Rachel becomes a remnant low perhaps as soon as Tuesday.
On September 24, tropical storm Rachel had gained the status of the 17th named storm of the 2014 Eastern Pacific hurricane season. However three days later, Rachel strengthened into the 12th hurricane of the season. Actually, there have been 13, if we also count Genevieve, which originated in the Eastern Pacific but did not get the status of a hurricane until well into the Central Pacific basin.
Reportedly, the last eastern Pacific season with 12 hurricanes in the season was recorded in 1992. This is also the third busiest eastern Pacific hurricane season on record, as measured by the number of season-to-date named storms.
WESTERN PACIFIC
Tropical Storm Kammuri transitions into an extra-tropical storm over the Northwestern Pacific Ocean, as the bulk of strong storms elongated from southwest to northeast.
On September 29, Kammuri had maximum sustained winds near 45 knots. According to data released by NASA, it was centered near 34.1 north latitude and 147.3 east longitude over the open waters of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The center is 320 nautical miles away from mainland Japan.
Kammuri was moving to the northeast and is becoming embedded in the winds. By September 30, it is expected to gain the status of fully extra-tropical, since it continues to weaken over the open ocean. When a storm becomes extra-tropical its core goes from warm to cold, like a typical mid-latitude low pressure storm system.
