Hurricane Rick - 2pm Advisory

From the National Hurricane Center
2pm PDT Sunday, October 18, 2009

--Position: 450 miles South of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
--Movement: WNW 14 MPH
--Maximum sustained winds: 160 MPH (Category 5 Hurricane)

A general decrease in intensity is forecast over the next 48 hours, however Rick expected to make landfall as a dangerous Hurricane later this week.

United Airlines and American Airlines travel waiver for customers flying through Los Cabos

Second Strongest Hurricane On Record In Eastern Pacific Aims for Cabo

Officials at the National Hurricane Center are now calling Hurricane Rick the second strongest hurricane on record in the Eastern Pacific. As of 8pm Pacific time, Rick was located 295 miles South-Southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, moving West-Northwest near 14 mph. The storm is expected to make a turn to the North by Monday. Maximum sustained winds are now up to 180 mph, with stronger gusts -making Rick an extremely dangerous Category Five Hurricane. Additional strengthening is possible overnight, before a slow gradual weakening commences.

Most forecast models show a weakened version of Hurricane Rick hitting southern tip of Baja by the middle part of next week. Anyone planning travel to this region should keep turned to changing weather conditions, and possible air travel disruptions.

Pictured above: Infrared image of Hurricane Rick with a most impressive stadium-like eye wall surrounding a beautiful 10-nautical mile wide eye.

Several Tropical Disturbances Being Monitored

We are in the heart of Hurricane Season in the U.S., and several tropical disturbances have recently formed over the Atlantic and Pacific. Here are the latest Sunday afternoon advisories and forecast tracks. Stay tuned for updates, and possible impacts travel in the week to come.


Data supplied by the National Hurricane Center

Atlantic:

• Tropical Storm Claudette located is just off the Florida Panhandle is expected to move inland over the next 24-hours. Maximum sustained winds are currently at 50 mph.
• Tropical Depression Ana is located near the Leeward islands, moving WNW at 23 mph. Maximum sustained winds are 35 mph. Long-range models bring Ana into the Gulf of Mexico late in the week.
• Tropical Storm Bill, located far out into the Atlantic, has maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. Bill is showing significant signs of strengthening, and some models bring the storm to a Category 4 hurricane within a few days. Long-range forecasts indicate Bill will be located over the Atlantic, South of Bermuda, by the end of the week.

Pacific:

• Hurricane Guillermo is currently 1000 miles East of Hilo, Hawaii. Maximum sustained winds of 85mph. The storm is expected to gradually weaken and push to the Northwest, and not directly impact the Hawai'ian islands.

Gustav Likely To Impact Travel

Hurricane Gustav, which made landfall over Haiti on Tuesday, continues to move over the warm open waters of the Caribbean. Forecasters say that although the interaction with land caused the storm to weaken to tropical storm status, warm sea temperatures and low shear will likely cause the storm to regain strength.

The National Hurricane Center predicts the storm to eventually move into the Gulf of Mexico this weekend, possibly as a category 3 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 111 mph.

Persons planning travel into the Caribbean over the next couple days, or into the Gulf regions of the United States next week, should monitor the latest information on Gustav's progress.

Although the airlines do a wonderful job accommodating passengers in advance who might be impacted by inclement weather, it is wise to monitor changes yourself, particularly if your travel includes a cruise, or hotel accommodations.

Travel Advisory: Hurricane Felix now a Category 5 Hurricane

Hurricane Season is in full force! Hurricane Felix (to the left), currently located Southeast of Jamaica has just been upgraded to a Cat 5 Hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph. The projected path takes it through the Caribbean then at for Belize and/or the Mexican Yucatan by Midweek. After crossing inland, the storm is expected to reemerge, over the Gulf of Mexico late next week.

Also, Tropical Storm Henriette, about 300 miles Southeast of Cabo, Mexico is expected to become a Hurricane within the next 24 hours, making landfall somewhere along Southern Baja Peninsula Tuesday.

Folks traveling to these areas over the next week should be aware of potential travel interruptions.

Hurricane Dean Travel Advisory
Among others, Spirit and Delta Airlines have issued travel advisories and relaxed travel rules for passengers with travel plans into the Bahamas and Caribbean over the next few days.

As of 10am Saturday, Hurricane Dean, a Category 4 Hurricane was expected to rip through the island of Jamaica later Sunday, then head toward the Gulf of Mexico in the U.S.

Anyone planning travel into the Southeast U.S over the next several days should also monitor the storm track of Dean.