Tropical Storm Cristina will transform into a hurricane by Thursday, say forecasters.
The storm formed late Monday 115 miles off the Pacific Coast of Mexico and as of 2:00 AM EST was moving west into the Pacific Ocean.
Thus far, the storm has only brought strong winds and heavy waves along the coastline with no reports of damage though gusts of 45 mph have been recorded.
The National Hurricane Center reports the storm will slowly gain strength over the next two days however there are currently no coastal watches or warnings in effect.
The increased strength of the storm may manifest in larger waves and heavier rain on the central and southern Pacific coasts but the center of the storm is expected to remain off-coast.
Tropical Storm Cristina forms, expected to be season's second hurricane, via @alexmurraysmith http://t.co/8pFXIOX9ci pic.twitter.com/jcWejUxxxE
— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 10, 2014
If the storm does become a hurricane, it will the second of the season after hurricane Amanda in May.
Interestingly, the news of this likely non-deadly hurricane comes after a report last month showing hurricanes with traditionally female names are deadlier than those with male names.
This could be attributed to the fact that hurricanes were exclusively labeled with female names up until 1979, and the increased knowledge of safety and improvements in technology cause all hurricanes after that date to naturally skew safer (including those with male names).
Or it could be that people are more likely to take a male-named hurricane seriously and are more cautious, consequently lowering the death toll.
#GOES Water Vapor imagery of Tropical Storm #Cristina from 14:15 UTC. For advisory info: http://t.co/F2JrZXVjZe pic.twitter.com/pz2LRYJqiH
— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) June 10, 2014
Lady-named though she be, Tropical Storm Cristina has thus far claimed no lives, and will likely remain raging in the Pacific Ocean without causing any damage or casualties.
Image via YouTube