Tropical Storm Dolores now active

July 16, 2009 The National Hurricane Center (NHC) upgraded Tropical Depression Five-E to tropical storm status Wednesday. The storm, now officially Tropical Storm Dolores, is the fourth named tropical cyclone of the 2009 Pacific hurricane season.

As of 8 p.m. PDT July 15 (0300 UTC July 16), Tropical Storm Dolores is located within 30 nautical miles of 17.1°N 117.4°W, about 630 miles (1015 km) southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. Maximum sustained winds are near 45 knots (50 mph, 75 km/h), with stronger gusts. The minimum barometric pressure is estimated at 1000 millibars.

Meanwhile, Carlos is once again a tropical storm after having reached hurricane status on July 14.

The NHC expects Dolores to continue moving out to sea during coming days. In a recent statement from the organization, forecasters noted that "There is a short window available for any further intensification", but the storm is likely to weaken once it moves over cooler waters.