00:00May 15th marks the official start of the East Pacific hurricane season.
00:04You may say, I thought hurricane season began June 1st.
00:07That's the case for the Atlantic, but often the East Pacific gets going a little earlier.
00:12So technically the East Pacific hurricane season is six and a half months long.
00:17Both seasons end November 30th.
00:19Now, we are dealing with some warmer water in the East Pacific.
00:23In fact, it often warms a little earlier in the East Pacific compared to the Atlantic,
00:27and there's a little less wind shear earlier in the season in the East Pacific.
00:31That's how storms often get going just a smidge earlier.
00:33But this year we expect that East Pacific water to be especially warm
00:39because of a very strong, strengthening El Nino.
00:43It's not here yet, but it will be here soon,
00:45and it's going to really be a significant one after a recent cool period in the East Pacific.
00:50So along the equator out there, warmer water is going to lead to more Pacific activity.
00:57We expect it to be an active hurricane season in the East Pacific,
01:00a little different than in the Atlantic.
01:02We're forecasting between 17 and 22 named storms.
01:06The average is 15.
01:07Nine to 13 hurricanes.
01:09The historical average is eight.
01:11Four to eight of these will likely become major hurricanes,
01:13and there could be between six and nine direct impacts to Mexico and Central America.
01:18That's quite a bit above the historical average.
01:21We'll be waiting for Amanda.
01:22No sign of Tropical Storm Amanda quite yet.
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