Norma, which is undergoing explosive intensification, is likely to become the East Pacific’s next hurricane. It could make landfall in Mexico before some of its rain reaches the U.S.A new tropical system has developed in the eastern Pacific Ocean, and moisture from the storm could eventually trigger significant rainfall in part of the central United States.
This image of the eastern Pacific Ocean shows Tropical Storm Norma. Another system was slowly organizing to the right on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. Norma has the potential to rapidly intensify, meaning sustained winds can increase by 35 mph or greater within a 24-hour period. AccuWeather meteorologists are projecting Norma to reach major Category 3 hurricane strength on the Saffir Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale with 111-129 mph winds.
The storm is projected to roll inland in the zone from Mazatlán to Culiacán, Mexico, on Monday. However, the system may pass near the tip of the Baja Peninsula this weekend. "At this time, the heaviest rain is likely to track across the northwestern part of Texas and the southwestern part of New Mexico and into portions of Oklahoma before spreading into more of the central Plains, spanning Tuesday and Wednesday of next week," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said."However, the exact swath of heaviest rain will depend on how both the jet stream and the energy from the tropical system interact.
Large tracts of the central U.S. have been experiencing abnormally dry conditions to the most extreme drought conditions, according to the United States Drought Monitor.