Hurricane Jimena Approaches Category 5

Satellite Image Courtesy of NOAA (NESDIS) - Hurricane Jimena - August 31, 2009 - AVN Enhanced <more images>

Hurricane Jimena Grows in Strength - Heading Towards Baja

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We continue to monitor this dangerous hurricane as it tracks toward Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and the surrounding area. Click on the following link for ongoing updates several times a day.

Monitoring Hurricane Jimena in East Pacific

Hurricane Hunter aircraft have flown through Hurricane Jimena and measured the current sustained maximum wind spead to be 150 MPH with higher gusts. It is very close to becoming a Category 5 (the highest designation on the Saffir-Simpson Scale ).

Tropical Storm - winds 39-73 mph (34-63 kt)
Category 1 - winds 74-95 mph (64-82 kt)
Category 2 - winds 96-110 mph (83-95 kt)
Category 3 - winds 111-130 mph (96-113 kt)
Category 4 - winds 131-155 mph (114-135 kt)
Category 5 - winds 156 mph and up (135+ kt)

JIMENA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA AND PORTIONS OF WESTERN MEXICO DURING THE NEXT 2 DAYS... WITH POSSIBLE ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 15 INCHES.

A DANGEROUS STORM SURGE ALONG WITH BATTERING WAVES WILL PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT COASTAL FLOODING ALONG THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA.

Cruise Ship Itinerary Changes

As you might expect, there have been itinerary changes made to keep passengers and crew a safe distance from the hurricane's path. Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean have cruise ships in the area and have modified itineraries:
The Carnival Elation August 29 departure from San Diego will visit Catalina on Tuesday and Ensenada on Wednesday.
The Carnival Splendor August 30 departure from Long Beach will visit Catalina on Monday and Ensenada on Tuesday.
Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas August 30 departure sailed west to avoid the storm for the planned sea day, and will inform the passengers of additional changes later today as they continue to monitor the storm.

Updates: <CARNIVAL> <Royal Caribbean>

Live Cruise Ship and Ocean Liner Tracking:<Interactive tracking map> See where ships are relative to tropical storms.

Our continuing coverage of this powerful hurricane can be found on: Monitoring Hurricane Jimena in East Pacific

In addition, NHC advisories are updated via RSS feed for both Jimena and Kevin (which has now become a tropical depression).