On Wednesday morning a tropical depression in the East Pacific strengthened into yet another tropical storm, adding to the extensive tally of the 2014 Pacific hurricane season.

According to the most recent update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), issued at 2:00 p.m. PST, Tropical Storm Odile was located approximately 200 miles south-southwest of Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico. The storm is expected to move slowly up the coast and is projected to strengthen to a category one hurricane by Friday.

As of Wednesday afternoon the center of Tropical Storm Odile was located near latitude 15.3 north and longitude 103.2 west, moving in a northwesterly direction at approximately six miles per hour. On the forecast track, Odile is expected to drift toward the northwest over the next 48 hours. The center of the storm should remain offshore of the southwestern coast of Mexico through Friday.

Maximum sustained winds are being measured near 40 miles per hour with higher gusts and tropical storm force winds are extending outward up to 45 miles. The storm is expected to continue to strengthen over the next two days and throughout the weekend.

According to a report from AccuWeather meteorologist Courtney Spamer, Odile is expected to hug the Mexican coastline as it moves north. Spamer forecasts that from Manzanillo to Puerto Vallarta, coastal cities and the mountains just inland should expect the greatest impact from the storm.

"Odile will brush the coast of southwestern Mexico, bringing very heavy rainfall," said AccuWeather meteorologist Adam Douty. "The city of Manzanillo could be at the greatest risk of flooding rainfall."

Inland, the heavy rain expected may threaten to bring with it dangerous mudslides while closer to the coast the rain is expected to cause more typical flooding conditions.

"The worst conditions will remain to the north of Acapulco," Douty said. "However, some locally heavy showers and storms could still move over the city through Saturday as tropical moisture gets pulled into the area."

Additionally, with the anticipated strengthening of the storm, wind speeds will increase and will reportedly threaten the possibility of widespread power outages along the affected coastlines.

As the weekend approaches, it is anticipated that Odile will "race" to the northwest on a trajectory that will bring it to the southern tip of Baja California. Some of the moisture from the storm system will likely be swept into northern Mexico, affecting areas that include the cities of Hermosillo and Chihuahua by early next week.

Odile is expected to hit areas along the coastline that are still recovering from the heavy flooding brought by Hurricane Norbert a week ago.

"After the extensive flooding across the Baja earlier in September, it will not take much more to cause additional flooding issues," Spamer said.

Even before the storm sparks these flooding issues, it will reportedly cause ocean swells that will begin affecting portions of the southwestern coast of Mexico in a day or so, according to the NHC. Beachgoers, swimmers and surfers should be advised that these swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

There are currently no coastal watches or warnings in place for this system, but interests along the southwestern coast of Mexico are advised to monitor the progress of Tropical Storm Odile. Please continue to check in with us at Latin Post for the most up-to-date information that will be published as soon as it is made available by weather experts while the storm continues to progress.

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