While many areas of the world are still quiet, the East Pacific tropical region suddenly became bustling again: A low pressure is strengthening and if it reaches the necessary wind level, it will become tropical storm Alvin - the first named storm in the Northern Hemisphere this year.
Satellite images on May 27 showed convective clouds and thunderstorms forming increasingly clearly around a low pressure area several hundred kilometers off the southern coast of Mexico, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). Although there is no clear circulation, environmental conditions are considered ideal for forming a tropical cyclone.
A tropical depression or tropical storm is forecast to form in the next 24 hours (May 29, Vietnam time) as the depression moves west-northwest at a speed of about 16 km/h, the NHC said in its latest storm bulletin on the afternoon of May 27 (local time).
If the system reaches wind speeds of about 63 km/h, it will be officially named Alvin - the opening milestone for the 2025 typhoon season in the Northern Hemisphere.
This is also an unusually early time for storms to appear, as it is average that the first storm in this area does not appear until June 10, according to NHC statistics.
Last year, the first typhoon (Aetta) arrived late on July 4, becoming the latest start since satellite data.
Early formation of Alvin will mark a clear difference from 2024, said AccuWeather typhoon forecaster Alex Sosnowski.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in its May 22 forecast said that the 2025 hurricane season in the eastern Pacific is likely to be below average, with about 15 named storms - the standard number for this region.
Most of the storms in the East Pacific typically move offshore and have little direct impact on the US mainland, but there are still some that make landfall on the coast of Mexico or bring moisture to the southwest of the US causing heavy rain.
Although not yet named, the system is showing signs of an early hurricane season, which could create a domino effect for other tropical areas, including the North Atlantic - where the season officially began on June 1.
