The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is now tracking two tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific during what is expected to be an active period for the basin.
Forecasters at the NHC declared early Thursday morning that a complex of showers and thunderstorms off the coast of southern Mexico had formed a center and had strong enough winds to be declared Tropical Depression Two-E.
The newly formed tropical depression is expected to quickly strengthen into Tropical Storm Beatriz later Thursday.
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Tropical Depression Two-E is located about 145 miles southwest of Puerto Angel, Mexico, or 245 miles southeast of Acapulco, Mexico.
Sustained winds were last estimated to be around 35 mph with higher gusts.
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Tropical Depression Two-E is moving northwestward and is expected to track near the southwestern coast of Mexico during the next few days, likely reaching tropical storm strength later Thursday.
Unlike Hurricane Adrian, which moved westward away from Mexico and Central America, the future tropical storm and possibly hurricane is expected to travel much closer to the coastline of southern and southwestern Mexico.
As a result, a Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for areas in Mexico from Punta Maldonado to Punta San Telmo, while a Tropical Storm Watch is in effect from north of Punta San Telmo to Playa Perula.
A Tropical Storm Warning means tropical-storm-force winds (39 to 73 mph) are expected somewhere in the warning area within 36 hours. A Tropical Storm Watch means those conditions are possible in the watch area, generally within 48 hours.
Tropical-storm-force winds are expected in the warning area beginning later Thursday or Thursday night.
While the FOX Forecast Center does not expect a landfall on the Mexican coast, the tropical cyclone is expected to dump heavy rainfall along the coast and create rough seas, which includes a heightened risk of rip currents.
Through Saturday, between 3 and 5 inches of rain, with maximum amounts up to 7 inches, is expected across southern Mexico from Oaxaca west to Jalisco. This heavy rainfall could lead to localized flash flooding.
The NHC continues to track Hurricane Adrian, which is located more than 400 miles west-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico.
At last report, the hurricane had sustained winds around 85 mph with higher gusts, which makes Adrian a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
Adrian is not forecast to directly threaten any landmasses in the Eastern Pacific.