NASA animation shows Seymour becomes a hurricane

Tropical Depression 20 formed in the Eastern Pacific Ocean on Sunday and by Monday at 11 a.m. it exploded into a hurricane named Seymour. An animation of satellite imagery created by NASA shows the development of the new hurricane.

The twentieth tropical depression of the Eastern Pacific Ocean hurricane season formed on Sunday, Oct. 23 at 5 a.m. EDT.

National Hurricane Center Forecaster Kimberlain said "Seymour's cloud pattern continues to increase in organization. The cyclone's small central dense overcast has become circular and increasingly symmetric since the last advisory, with plenty of cold-topped deep convection, particularly near the center."

NOAA's GOES-West satellite captured infrared and visible imagery that showed the rapid intensification of the storm over 30 hours. An animation of data, created at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland that spans from Oct. 21 to early on Oct. 24 shows the development of Tropical Depression 20 and explosive growth into Hurricane Seymour on Oct. 24.

At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) on Oct. 24 the center of Hurricane Seymour was located near 15.2 degrees north latitude and 109.8 degrees west longitude. That puts the center of the depression about 450 miles (720 km) south of Manzanillo, Mexico.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that Seymour is moving toward the west-northwest near 15 mph (24 kph), and this motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected during the next couple of days. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 75 mph (120 kph) with higher gusts. Additional strengthening is likely, and Seymour is expected to become a major hurricane on Tuesday, Oct. 25.

For updated forecasts, visit: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov