Current Snapshot

The Pacific Disaster Center’s (PDC Global) Saturday, February 24, 2024, Tropical Cyclone Activity Report…for the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and adjacent Seas

Current Tropical Cyclones:

Tropical Cyclone 14P (Lincoln)…is located approximately 56 NM west of Learmonth, Australia – Final Warning

Northeast Pacific Ocean:

The North Pacific hurricane season officially ended on November 30, 2023. Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will resume on May 15, 2024. During the off-season, Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued as conditions warrant.

The eastern Pacific basin hurricane season was above normal, with 17 named storms, of which 10 were hurricanes and eight of those major hurricanes.

From August 16 to 21, Tropical Storm Hilary brought widespread heavy rainfall and flooding to Southern California, with some areas receiving up to 600% of their normal August rainfall. Hilary resulted in the first ever issuance of Tropical Storm Watches and Warnings for the Southern California coastline by NOAA’s National Hurricane Center. In addition, the Center distributed key hazard focused messages for Hilary in Spanish through the agency’s new language translation project.

Hurricane Otis made landfall near Acapulco, Mexico, on October 25 as a category-5 hurricane, with sustained winds of 165 mph. Otis holds the record as the strongest land falling hurricane in the eastern Pacific, after undergoing rapid intensification in which wind speeds increased by 115 mph in 24 hours.

Central North Pacific:

The central North Pacific hurricane season officially ended on November 30, 2023. Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will resume on June 1, 2024. During the off-season, Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued as conditions warrant.

The central Pacific basin had a near-normal season with four tropical systems traversing the basin.

Hurricane Dora, a category-4 storm, passed south of Hawaii in early August, marking the first major hurricane in the central Pacific basin since 2020. The strong gradient between a high pressure system to the north and Dora to the south was a contributing factor to the wind-driven, fast-moving wildfires in Hawaii.

Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and adjacent Seas

South Indian Ocean…

Tropical Cyclone 14P (Lincoln) – Final Warning

According to the JTWC warning number 13, sustained winds are 30 knots…with gusts to near 40 knots

Animated multi-spectral satellite imagery
indicates a partially-exposed low-level circulation center (llcc) with
the associated convective structure displaced to the south-southwest.

Learmonth surface observations indicate the llcc is located about 54 NM west as winds have backed to the north (20-25 knots sustained) over the last few hours. The Learmonth upper-air sounding shows very dry mid-level relative humidity, aiding in the rapid decay of core convection.

TC Lincoln will continue tracking to the south-southeast through 24 hours around the well-established subtropical ridge and will steadily weaken in intensity as dry-air entrainment and land interaction decreases maximum winds to a forecast 25 knots.