The earliest Pacific Coast tropical storm on record is forming off of Mexico

Hurricane.
(Image credit: NOAA via Getty Images)

Hurricane season in the Pacific Ocean doesn't technically start for another five days, but a major tropical storm has already formed off of Mexico, USA Today reports. Tropical Storm Adrian is the earliest eastern Pacific tropical storm to form since reliable record-keeping began in 1966, with the previous record being Tropical Storm Alma, formed on May 14, 1990.

Adrian has winds of about 45 miles per hour; it takes winds of 74 miles per hour for a storm to officially be classified as a hurricane. Pacific tropical storms and hurricanes don't usually do more damage to the U.S. than flooding through the Southwest, although they can do significant damage to the coastal cities of Mexico.

"With water temperatures off western Central America above normal and relatively low wind shear, [Adrian's] conditions will be conducive for further strengthening," said AccuWeather meteorologist Steve Travis.

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Hurricane season technically begins in the Pacific on May 15. It starts in the Atlantic on June 1.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.