Powerful Hurricane Dolores Threatens Socorro Island

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

July 15,2015; 9:04PM,EDT

Dolores became a Category 4 hurricane during Wednesday midday. Swells from the large storm will continue to push outward from the center into the weekend.
While western Mexico and southern Baja California will escape the worst of the storm with the system moving away from the mainland, residents and visitors cannot let their guard down. The storm is moving on a west-northwest path.
Dolores will pass very close to and perhaps right over sparsely populated Socorro Island through Thursday. Dolores will bring the potential for life-threatening conditions including destructive winds, flooding rainfall and storm surge flooding.

Dolores is a major concern for shipping and cruise interests. Vessels should avoid the large storm as it is generating mountainous seas, which are propagating outward from its center.
Enough moisture is wrapping around Dolores to enhance showers and thunderstorms in parts of western Mexico.
Rainfall amounts will generally average less than 25 mm (1 inch); however, localized downpours can result in flash flooding.
While the most widespread rainfall was reported through Monday, spotty heavy showers and thunderstorms will continue to target coastal areas from Manzanillo to Mazatlan through the middle of the week
RELATED:
AccuWeather Hurricane Center
Latest Statistics on Dolores
Mexico Weather Center
Baja California will also be impacted by Dolores. Drenching and gusty showers will brush the southern tip of Baja California, including Cabo San Lucas. This threat will continue through Friday.
This animated satellite image of Dolores is courtesy of NOAA.
The greatest threat from Dolores to the western coast of Mexico and the southern Baja California Peninsula, however, is the rough seas and dangerous surf that will persist through much of this week.
Shipping and cruise lines will be impacted, while the surf and accompanying rip currents will prove life-threatening to anyone who attempts to enter the water. This includes at the resort cities of Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo.
Conditions will not improve until this weekend along the western coast of Mexico.
Seas and surf will build along the northern coast of the Baja California Peninsula and Southern California through the end of the week and into the weekend as swells push outward from the storm, even as it peaks and begins to weaken.
AccuWeather Meteorologists Eric Leister and Alex Sosnowski contributed to this story.