Scary Hurricane Cristina Record-Breaking, 'Extraordinary', Life-Threatening

A record-breaking major hurricane of the Eastern Pacific Ocean Season has begun with what officials have described as the “extraordinary” and possibly life-threatening Hurricane Cristina, that reached Category 4 status on the Saffir-Simpson scale Thursday. 

Tuesday, fishermen as far north as Rosarito Beach area raced to sea for an unusual event.

“The ocean is crazy today,” one fisherman described to Deborah Dupré, explaining exceptionally good fishing conditions had arrived with the overcast skies and cooler weather.

By Thursday morning, June 12, at 1200 UTC (8 a.m. EDT), however, NOAA’s GOES-West satellite provided an infrared image of Hurricane Cristina, showing a very clear, distinct eye. At 5 a.m. Thursday morning, she carried a maximum intensity of 120 mph.

Although Cristina’s center is still over open ocean, her intensity is causing rough surf along the west coast of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted swells continuing to impact southwestern Mexico.

Cristina is anticipated to possibly cause life-threatening surf and riptide conditions, according to NHC, but no warnings have been issued to prepare people in its expected path of destruction.

NHC noted at 11 a.m. EDT (8 a.m. PDT) that Cristina “has gone through an extraordinary, but not unprecedented, phase of rapid intensification during the past 24 hours, with its maximum winds increasing by about 65 knots (74.8 mph/120.4 kph) since that time on June 11.”

The storm just had an “extraordinary” burst of intensification in the last 24 hours, rocketing from Category 1 to Category 4 strength, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 150 miles per hour. Now, the National Hurricane Center notes another new record.

Category 4 Cristina and this year’s earlier Amanda mark the earliest that two hurricanes have reached at least Category 4 status in the Eastern Pacific Basin since the beginning of the satellite era in 1966.

That is no surprise to global warming scientists, who have warned of unprecedented violent storms accompanying higher ocean temperatures.

Also, the eastern Pacific basin tends to be very active in El Niño years.

“We are not officially in an El Niño right now, but the forecast for one developing this summer is now 70 percent. In this case, maybe the eastern Pacific is ahead of the forecasters in responding to the state of the ocean and atmosphere,” says Grist’s Chris Mooney, a science and political journalist, blogger, podcaster, experienced trainer of scientists in the art of communication, and the host of Climate Desk Live.

Violent Cristina Bringing Desperately Needed Rainfall

When the TRMM satellite flew over Cristina on June 11, it was a hurricane. A rainfall analysis, usin data from TRMM’s Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) instruments, was overlaid on an enhanced infrared image received by NOAA’s GOES-East satellite at 1145 UTC (7:45 a.m. EDT) to provide a complete picture of the hurricane’s cloud extent and rainfall rates.

The TRMM TMI data clearly revealed an eye had developed, indicating that Cristina was definitely a hurricane.

TRMM PR found rain falling at a rate of over 74.4 mm (2.9 inches) per hour in a strong feeder band east if Cristina’s eye.

Another smaller area of strong convective thunderstorms west of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico was also found to contain very heavy rainfall with the tallest thunderstorm tops reaching heights of about 16.5km (10.2 miles).

Some officials still say Cristina carries no threat to land and thst it will weaken, according to ABC News, also reporting forecasters saying swells are already affecting parts of Mexico’s southwest coast and could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Sources: Phys.Org, ABC News

Photo Credit: NASA/NOAA GOES Project