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Tropical Storm Hilda among 3 storms developing in eastern Pacific Ocean

Update, 11 p.m.

Tropical Storm Hilda is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Saturday night or early Sunday.

Hilda, with winds at 50 mph, is about 765 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Hilda is moving toward the west-northwest at 14 mph.

Also in the eastern Pacific Ocean is Tropical Depression Nine-E, located about 1,340 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Nine-E, with winds at 30 mph, remains poorly organized and is moving toward the west at 6 mph.

A disturbance in the eastern Pacific has a 50 percent chance of forming into a cyclone in the next 48 hours and a 70 percent chance of forming in the next five days.

5 p.m.

The National Hurricane Center has issued public advisories for two developing storms in the eastern Pacific Ocean, including newly developed Tropical Storm Hilda, while monitoring an additional disturbance.

Hilda appears to be in generally conducive conditions for strengthening, forecasters said early this afternoon, and it is expected to become a hurricane over the weekend.

Hilda is about 700 miles south-southeast of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula and about 2,700 miles from Hawaii island. The tropical storm has maximum sustained winds at 45 mph, and it is moving west-northwest at 15 mph.

After becoming a hurricane, conditions should cause Hilda to gradually weaken back to a tropical storm by the end of the current five-day forecast period.

Hilda is far from Mexico and no threat to any land.

Models suggest the possibility that Hilda could interact with the two other nearby systems — Tropical Depression Nine-E to the west of Hilda, and a disturbance to the west. If an interaction occurs, it could change the rate that Hilda weakens and possibly lead to erratic motion.

Closer to Hawaii island, but still about 2,000 miles away, is the newly formed Tropical Depression Nine-E, which has maximum sustained winds of 30 mph and is moving west-southwest at 5 mph.

On Saturday afternoon, NHC said the depression is “struggling.” Its motion is uncertain because of its disorganized nature. Its track could be affected if it interacts with Hilda during the next five days or so, and large changes to its forecast may be made on Saturday if an interaction occurs.

The newly formed tropical depression could strengthen if it redevelops and sustains an organized convection.

Currently it poses no threat to any land.

The center’s forecasters are also monitoring a disturbance of thunderstorms and showers that have become slightly more organized a few hundred miles from Mexico. There is a 50% chance that it will develop into a tropical cyclone in the next two days, and a 70% chance in the next five days.

The disturbance is likely to become a tropical depression by early next week as it moves west-northwest at 10-15 mph.

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