At the time of the image, the Category 4 storm was in the eastern Pacific moving north-northwest at a speed of about 7 kilometers (5 miles) per hour. The storm’s winds peaked at 250 kilometers (155 miles) per hour. It was the strongest May hurricane on record. The previous record holder was Hurricane Adolph, which had winds that peaked at 235 kilometers (145 miles) per hour on May 29, 2001. Forecasters expect Amanda to weaken and become a tropical storm over the next few days. Amanda attained tropical storm status on May 23. That’s earlier than usual for the first hurricane of the year, according to Jeff Masters, Weather Underground’s director of meteorology. On average, the first tropical storm of the season arrives in the Eastern Pacific by June 10, and the first hurricane by June 26. For more details about when storms typically arrive, see this overview from the National Hurricane Center. In its annual outlook for the hurricane season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Climate Prediction Center projected that 14 to 20 tropical cyclones would affect the eastern Pacific this season, a near-normal to above-normal season. NOAA meteorologists expect a normal or above-normal season in the central Pacific. In contrast, they are calling for a near-normal or below-normal Atlantic hurricane season. The possibility that El Niño may develop during the 2014 hurricane season is a factor in all three regions. El Niño decreases the vertical wind shear over the tropical central and eastern Pacific, favoring the development of more and stronger tropical cyclones. In contrast, it causes stronger wind shear in the Atlantic, which would reduce the number and intensity of storms. References Jeff Masters’ WunderBlog, via Weather Underground (2014, May 27) Amanda Peaks as Strongest May Eastern Pacific Hurricane on Record: 155 mph Winds. Accessed May 27, 2014. National Hurricane Center (2014, May 27) Hurricane Amanda: Archive. Accessed May 27, 2014. National Hurricane Center (2014, May 27) Hurricane Amanda. Accessed May 27, 2014. National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center (2014, May 22) 2014 Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season Outlook. Accessed May 27, 2014. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (2014, May 22) NOAA expects near-normal or above-normal Central Pacific hurricane season. Accessed May 27, 2014. The Weather Channel (2014) Hurricane Amanda: Record-Setting May Hurricane Forecast to Weaken in the Eastern Pacific. Accessed May 27, 2014. University of Wisconsin-Madison CIMSS Satellite Blog (2014, May 23) Hurricane Amanda in the East Pacific Ocean. Accessed May 27, 2014. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Adam Voiland. Instrument(s): Aqua - MODIS