Tropical Storm Octave Warning Issued: What To Expect As Rains Approach Baja California

Tropical Storm Octave is expected to make landfall off the west coast of Baja California, Mexico, late Monday and early Tuesday, according to an advisory from the U.S. National Hurricane Center. The storm formed over the weekend and is centered about 245 miles south-southwest of Cabo San Lazaro on the Baja California peninsula. Octave is moving north at about 13 mph with maximum sustained winds clocking in at 60 mph.

Although Tropical Storm Octave is expected to weaken as it nears Mexico’s west coast, becoming a tropical depression by Tuesday, the Mexican government issued a warning ahead of the storm’s arrival. Octave comes on the heels of September’s historic downpours, when Hurricane Ingrid and tropical depression Manual brought heavy rains to Mexico’s Gulf and Pacific coasts.

UPI reported that the deadly storm duo caused massive flooding and landslides, killing at least 157 people. Dozens more went missing in the mountains of southern Mexico’s Guerrero state, and tens of thousands of others were forced from their homes and were still in shelters days after the storms had passed.

Baja California civil protection chief Carlos Miguel Enriquez said Tropical Storm Octave would arrive “not as a storm, nor depression, just as a remnant.”

Here’s what to expect from Tropical Storm Octave: The storm is likely to dump three to six inches of rain over a large swath of the southern Baja California peninsula, UPI noted. Gusty winds will also be felt across the region.

In the U.S., the storm’s moisture and upper-level energy will travel northeastward through the week and collide with a cold front moving across the central U.S. This will bring rainfall in the south-central states, according to Weather.com.

At the same time, Tropical Storm Priscilla is strengthening over the Pacific. The storm formed Monday morning just southwest of Octave, and is expected to strengthen over the next few days.

Priscilla’s winds have reached 40 mph. No coastal watches or warnings have been issued for Priscilla.