Updated on November 30, 2015 1:30 PM (IST): Sandra brings light rain in Mexico
Hurricane Sandra weakened into just remnants of a Post-Tropical Cyclone on November 28. It failed to be the latest Eastern Pacific tropical storm to make landfall in a calendar year. As of now, the storm system is now bringing some light rainfall along the Mexican Coast. The weather system will stop affecting weather over the region very soon.
Updated on November 28, 2015 11:45 AM (IST): Hurricane Sandra has further weakened into a tropical storm on Friday and is likely to continue loosing its strength as it heads towards Mexico coast.
At present, Sandra is around 340 km southwest of Mazatlan, a Mexican town situated along the Pacific shoreline in the state of Sinaloa, with maximum sustained winds of 113 kmph.
According to Skymet, the system will dissipate quickly as soon as it moves inland. Reportedly, Sandra is the strongest hurricane in the eastern Pacific Ocean on record to make an appearance so late in the year.
Updated on November 27, 2015 03:15 PM (IST): Hurricane Sandra intensified into a Category 4 storm by Thursday morning. This rare, late-season hurricane has now weakened into a Category 3 storm, centered around 17.5°N latitude and 109.8°W longitude. The storm system is still in the open sea, moving in a north/northeast direction and gradually weakening further.
Moving at a speed of 20 kmph, Hurricane Sandra is expected to hit the coast of Mexico in another 3 days. At present winds are blowing at an average speed 200 kmph, gusting to about 250 kmph. It could bring heavy rainfall over the coastal areas of Mexico, some moisture to the Mississippi Valley and Southern Plains early next week.
The tropical storm will weaken further into a storm system before striking the Mexico coast. The cone of landfall extends from Baja California to Northwest Mexico. It is most likely to make a landfall over Culiacan city or Los Mochis in northwestern Mexico.
Hurricane Sandra Facts
• Hurricane Sandra is the latest Category 4 storm to be formed over either the eastern Pacific or the Atlantic.
• Sandra is also said to be the strongest hurricane so late in the season. Since 1949, only 3 other storms were formed in the eastern Pacific later than Sandra.
• We do not have any record of a named storm, which made landfall on either Baja California or the Pacific coast of Mexico.
Image Credit - CIMSS
