2011 Pacific Hurricane Season - Storms - Hurricane Kenneth

Hurricane Kenneth

Kenneth originated from an area of unsettled weather that developed off the coast of Guatemala on November 16. A low-pressure area formed shortly thereafter, and organization of the system began to improve on November 17 as it moved westward. The low remained over an area with favorable conditions for formation on November 18, although convective activity tapered slightly later during the day as it began to curve west-northwestward. The system continued to coalesce overnight, and the circulation of the low was more prominent by the following morning.‹The template Citation needed span is being considered for possible deletion.› By November 19, the disturbance had gained enough organization to be declared as a tropical depression, the thirteenth of the season. The following day, the depression continued to intensify, and was upgraded to a tropical storm, receiving the name Kenneth. Rapid strengthening was observed on November 21, and Kenneth was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane. Later that night, the hurricane became a Category 2 with 105 mph sustained winds. The next morning, Kenneth strengthened to become a strong Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 125 mph. Rapid intensification continued and the storm was upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 145 mph, just a few hours later, as Kenneth reached its peak intensity. The cause for this rapid intensification just days before the end of the season was unclimatologically low wind shear as well as unusually warm waters directly in the storm's path. However, Kenneth's intensification was short-lived; immediately it moved into an environment of colder waters and stronger wind shear, and started to rapidly deteriorate. Just 24 hours after the cyclone reached its peak, it dropped below hurricane strength and lost most of its central convection. Afterwards, Kenneth weakened at a slower rate, but by November 25, had weakened to a tropical depression, losing almost all of its convection. Early on November 25, Kenneth weakened to a remnant low, with its circulation void of any strong convection. But for the next 3 days, the remnant of the storm continued moving northwestward rapidly, as a convectionless vortex, before dissipating completely early on November 28.

In the first discussion bulletin, Forecaster Robbie Berg commented that it was the latest-forming tropical cyclone in the North Pacific east of 140°W since Tropical Depression Twenty-Two-E on November 24, 1987, and Kenneth was the latest forming named storm since Winnie in 1983. Kenneth strengthened to a major hurricane on November 22, becoming the latest-forming major hurricane in the eastern north Pacific basin in the satellite era. Kenneth was upgraded to Category 4 a few hours later, becoming the most powerful late-season storm ever recorded in the eastern north Pacific.