16 September, 2017
Norma is now a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour (80 km/hr) according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Tropical Storm Norma is expected to become a hurricane by Saturday while moving towards Baja California Sur, the National Hurricane Center said. It has winds of 65, just shy of hurricane-force winds, according to the NHC.
Even if Norma does not eventually impact land, unsafe surf and rip current conditions are expected this weekend along the coast of southwestern Mexico and Baja California Sur.
There is a growing chance that this system may impact land next week and a hurricane watch will likely be issued later Friday for portions of southern Baja California.
According to The Weather Channel, Norma is presently "over very warm waters and should remain in an area of low wind shear into this weekend".
Tropical Storm Max has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane off Mexico's southern Pacific coast and is forecast to make landfall later Thursday along the coast of Guerrero state.
This satellite image obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Max (R) and Tropical Storm Norma on September 14, 2017, at 2045UTC. The wind impacts of Norma depend on how soon the storm can reach land, and therefore depend on the timing of Norma's turn to the northeast due to a weakening high pressure ridge over Mexico.
Max has triggered warnings of life-threatening conditions in areas hit by the devastating 8.2 quake, which killed 96 people.
