Tropical Storm Marie Expected to Become Category 4 Hurrican Within 48 Hours
Marie became a Tropical Storm this morning and has sustained winds of 60 mph as of 3 PM local time. The storm is intensifying rapidly and is expected to reach 135 mph sustained winds within 48 to 72 hours, making Marie a Category 4 hurricane. Marie is a very large storm and is expected to cross very warm water within the next 48 hours with no interference from wind shear, resulting in rapid intensification.
According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Marie is on a west-northwestward track. The storm is expected to maintain that track (see diagram below), remaining to the west of a ridge of pressure building off the west coast of northern Mexico. That should keep the storm from making landfall on the Baja Peninsula, but the soon-to-be Hurricane Marie is surrounded by large bands of rain.
The extreme size predicted for Hurricane Marie means that Los Cabos and southern Baja may experience significant effects from the storm early next week, with heavy winds and rain a possibility.
Updates will be posted as they become available.