Severe Cyclonic Storm Mora made landfall early Tuesday around 7:30 a.m. local time in southeastern Bangladesh. The storm had 1-minute sustained winds of 65 knots (75 mph – equivalent to a minimal category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale), and 3-minute sustained winds of 60 knots (70 mph), at the time of landfall. The estimated minimum pressure was 978 mbar. Mora was the first Northern Hemisphere tropical cyclone of 2017 to have 1-minute sustained winds of 65 knots or greater, making it the Northern Hsmisphere’s first hurricane-force tropical cyclone of 2017.

Mora has continued to weaken this morning as it moves inland, and should dissipate inland Wednesday. As of 06:00 UTC this morning, Mora had maximum 1-minute sustained winds of 55 knots (65 mph), but the cyclone’s appearance has degraded significantly since then. Mora has already been blamed for over 180 fatalities, mostly in Sri Lanka, including its precursor low, making it the second-deadliest tropical cyclone of 2017 so far.

Invest 91E in the East Pacific was designated Monday afternoon by the National Hurricane Center. At 00:00 UTC Tuesday, 91E was centered near 11.7N 98.8W, with maximum winds near 20 knots (25 mph). 91E has scattered deep convection and is not very well organized at this time. As of the 5:00 AM PDT Tropical Weather Outlook, the NHC gave 91E a 30 percent chance of development in 48 hours and a 60 percent chance of development within 5 days. The models are not overly enthusiastic wth development of 91E, with the 00z ECMWF showing practically no development and the 06z GFS showing a minimal tropical depression. As a result, I think the NHC’s chances are too high, and I give 91E a 20 percent chance of development within 48 hours and a 40 percent chance of development within five days.

The Atlantic remains quiet for another day, but the 2017 season officially begins in less than 48 hours. I will be back tomorrow for an update on 91E.