About three weeks before the official start of the East Pacific hurricane season, the first tropical depression of the year has formed and official broken records.
Far to the south and west of Mexico, a tropical low was churrning at the end of this week. On the morning of Saturday, April 25, the low strengthened to become Tropical Depression 1E.
The tropical season for the East Pacific Ocean officially begins on May 15. The start of the tropical season for both the North Atlantic Ocean and the Central Pacific Ocean traditionally gets underway June 1.
"The tropical system was spinning over relatively warm waters, allowing for it to become a tropical depression," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Edwards.
The atmosphere around a tropical low has a significant influence on its chances of developing into a tropical depression, tropical storm or hurricane. Both warm water and low wind shear are important for a tropical system to strengthen.
There is only a small window of time that Tropical Depression 1E will have access to these favorable conditions.
"The best chance for this system to strengthen, and remain organized is through early Sunday before it moves north into cooler waters and stronger winds," added Edwards. By later Sunday, cooler waters and strong winds are likely to begin weakening the low.
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