Tropical depression could form southeast of Big Island this weekend

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As Oho moved farther away from the Hawaiian Islands Thursday, forecasters were keeping tabs on an area of disturbed weather in the Eastern Pacific that could become a tropical depression this weekend.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms continue to fire up around an area of low pressure 1,850 miles southeast of the Big Island, forecasters with the National Hurricane and Central Pacific Hurricane centers said Thursday. Both centers are monitoring the system because of its proximity to the boundary of the Eastern Pacific and Central Pacific basins.

Forecasters say a depression could form as early as Saturday before the system crosses into the Central Pacific. By Saturday afternoon, should it keep heading west at 15 to 20 mph, the disturbance would be between 900 and 1,100 miles southeast of the Big Island.

National Hurricane Center forecasters are also monitoring an area low pressure that is expected to develop several hundred miles south of southwestern Mexico late this weekend. Any development of the system should be slow as it heads westward at 5 mph. It has a 20 percent of becoming a tropical cyclone within five days.

The Central and Eastern Pacific hurricane seasons continue through Nov. 30.


Get more hurricane-related content, including preparation tips, evacuation info and daily tropical weather updates, on our hurricane season page, sponsored by Clark Realty, at www.westhawaiitoday.com/hurricane-season-2015.