Rick Strengthens to Cat 5 Hurricane
Posted by feww on October 18, 2009
For UPDATES see comments section below
Rick Intensifies to a Ferocious Category 5 Hurricane Near Mexico’s Pacific Coast
Rick is now an extremely dangerous category 5 hurricane headed toward Baja California peninsula.
Satellite imagery indicates that Rick has maximum sustained winds of 260 km/h (160 mph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
A Category 5 hurricane, the highest on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale, Rick could cause catastrophic damage in its path and beyond.
As of posting, Rick is about 370km (230 miles) south of Manzanillo, Mexico, and threatens to turn toward the Mexican coast on Tuesday, pummeling Baja California by early Thursday, on to mainland Mexico to dump an unprecedented amount of rain.
Rick is the seventh hurricane of the season in eastern north Pacific.
GOES Northern Hemisphere Composite SECTOR IR Image
Hurricane Rick at Cat 5 Strength – Northern Hemisphere Composite Sector (IR Ch 4) – still image dated as inset. Click image to enlarge and update.
Unenhanced satellite image of Rick at Cat 5 strength showing textbook eye and near-perfect symmetry
Hurricane Rick – Cat 5 – Still image – Dated as inset. Click image to enlarge and update.
Coastal Watches/Warnings and 5-Day Track Forecast Cone
Still image – Dated as inset. Click image to enlarge and update.
Tropical Storm Force Wind Speed Probabilities – 120 Hours
Still image – Dated as inset. Click image to enlarge and update.
GOES Full Disk East IR- Still image. Click image to enlarge and update. [Images are updated every three (3) hours.]
Other Images of Rick
Hurricane Rick – Cat 5 – AVNColor enhancement- Still image – Dated as inset. Click image to enlarge and update.
NOAA Polar Mapped Mosaic Composites Showing Typhoon Lupit and Hurricane Rick
Still image – Dated as inset. Click image to enlarge and update.
Other Satellite Images
GOES Satellite: East Pacific : Hurricane Rick(EP20)
- Visible Image – Java – Flash
- IR AVN Image – Java – Flash
- IR Shortwave Image – Java – Flash
- IR Dvorak* Image – Java – Flash
- IR Unenhanced Image – Java – Flash
- IR JSL Image – Java – Flash
- IR RGB Image – Java – Flash
- IR Funktop Image – Java – Flash
- IR Rainbow Image – Java – Flash
- Water Vapor Image – Java – Flash
Additional Images:
Related Links:
Fire Earth 
feww said
NHC UPDATE:
SUMMARY OF 500 AM PDT (12:00 UTC) INFORMATION
LOCATION 22.3ºN 107.5ºW
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS 55 MPH
PRESENT MOVEMENT NORTHEAST OR 50 DEGREES AT 16 MPH
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE 994 MB
RICK WEAKENING FAST AS IT NEARS THE WEST COAST OF MEXICO
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE MEXICAN MAINLAND FROM SAN BLAS TO ALTATA. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN BAJA CALIFORNIA FROM AGUA BLANCA SOUTHWARD ON THE WEST COAST AND FOR THE EAST COAST FROM BUENA VISTA SOUTHWARD INCLUDING CABO SAN LUCAS. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN THIS CASE MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SOMEWHERE IN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 12 HOURS.
INTERESTS ELSEWHERE IN WESTERN MAINLAND MEXICO SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF RICK.
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA PLEASE MONITOR
PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.
AT 500 AM PDT1200 UTC THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM RICK WAS
ESTIMATED NEAR LATITUDE 22.3 NORTH LONGITUDE 107.5 WEST OR ABOUT 90 MILES 145 KM SOUTHWEST OF MAZATLAN MEXICO.
RICK HAS INCREASED IN FORWARD SPEED AND IS NOW MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 16 MPH 26 KM/HR. THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TODAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK THE CENTER OF RICK WILL BE VERY NEAR THE COAST OF WEST-CENTRAL MAINLAND MEXICO THIS MORNING.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 55 MPH 90 KM/HR WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS EXPECTED TODAY.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 150 MILES (240 KM) FROM THE CENTER.
ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 994 MB (29.35 INCHES).
RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 6 INCHES ARE EXPECTED OVER THE STATES OF SINALOA AND DURANGO IN WEST-CENTRAL MEXICO WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 10 INCHES POSSIBLE. THESE RAINS COULD PRODUCE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE OVER EXTREME SOUTHERN BAJA CALIFORNIA.
LARGE SWELLS GENERATED BY RICK WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHERN BAJA CALIFORNIA COAST AND THE WEST-CENTRAL COAST OF MEXICO TODAY CAUSING POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SURF CONDITIONS. THESE CONDITIONS WILL GRADUALLY SUBSIDE LATER TODAY.
FORECASTER AVILA/CANGIALOSI
feww said
NHC Said
MAJOR HURRICANE RICK MOVING NORTHWESTWARD
AT 5:00 AM PDT (12:00 UTC) THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RICK WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 17.7 NORTH, LONGITUDE 111.1 WEST OR ABOUT 365 MILES
(590 KM) SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF CABO SAN LUCAS MEXICO.
RICK IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 10 MPH (17 KM/H). A TURN
TOWARD THE NORTH WITH A DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO. RICK IS THEN FORECAST TO ACCELERATE TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST AND NORTHEAST BY LATE TUESDAY AND EARLY WEDNESDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF THE HURRICANE WILL BE NEARING SOUTHERN BAJA CALIFORNIA BY LATE TUESDAY OR EARLY WEDNESDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 125 MPH (205 KM/H) WITH
HIGHER GUSTS. RICK IS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE
SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE.
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE: 950 MB (28.05 INCHES), or 712.47 mm Hg
feww said
NHC Said:
RICK WEAKENS, BUT STILL A DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE
AT 8:00 PM PDT 03:00 UTC, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RICK WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 17.0 NORTH LONGITUDE 110.3 WEST OR ABOUT 410 MILES (660 KM) SOUTH OF CABO SAN LUCAS MEXICO.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS: 145 MPH (230 KM/HR)
PRESENT MOVEMENT: NORTHWEST OR 305 DEGREES AT 13 MPH (20 KM/HR)
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE: 936 MB
feww said
Hurricane Rick
Summary Of 03:00 UTC Sunday Oct 18, 2009 (8:00 Pm PDT Saturday) Information
Location: 15.0N 105.9W
Maximum Sustained Winds: 290 km/h (180 mph)
Present Movement: West-Northwest or 290 degrees At 23 km/h (14 mph)
Minimum Central Pressure: 679.45 mm Hg (906 Mb)