Hurricane Orlene Forecasted to Impact Western Mexico and Southwest United States

Hurricane Orlene is barreling towards Western Mexico and Southwest United States, raising flooding concerns in the region, according to AccuWeather forecasters.

The meteorologists predicted that Orlene will initially bring heavy rain and gusty winds to some parts of Mexico.

Meanwhile, moisture from the newly formed hurricane could even reach the US soon, where it is expected to be more organized.

Forecasters said Orlene is set to become stronger as it hovers over the East Pacific Ocean, located off the southwestern coast of Mexico, in the coming days.

During this period hurricane-force winds and stored precipitation could also increase, causing a potentially imminent path of destruction like infrastructural damage and disruptions like power outages and delayed travel, as well as life-threatening risks.

Orlene is the East Pacific hurricane season's 16th named storm and its ninth hurricane.

Forming in the early morning of Thursday, September 29, the post-tropical storm gradually worked its way up to intensify as a hurricane with winds of 75 miles per hour (120 kilometers per hour), according to AccuWeather.

It is specifically located around 200 miles (320 kilometers) southwest of Cabo Corrientes in Jalisco, Mexico.

Hurricane Orlene

(Photo : Photo by NOAA by Getty Images)

Hurricane Orlene has hurricane-force winds of up to 10 miles (20 kilometers) outward, while its center and tropical-storm-force winds can reach 45 miles (75 kilometers) as of Saturday, October 1.

The hurricane was initially felt on land by Friday evening, September 30.

AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex DaSilva said extensive 2 to 4 inches (50 to 100 millimeters) of rain is possible for the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Durango, and Sinaloa.

Post-Tropical Storm Orlene was first forecasted to become a hurricane on Sunday, October 2.

However, the storm rapidly intensified even before landfall. It is expected to produce 3 to 5 inches of rainfall for portions of Southwest Mexico by Monday evening, October 3, according to Fox Weather.

Also Read: Tropical Storm Orlene to Bring Heavy Rains and Gusty Winds to Mexico

Hurricane Ian

The looming threat posed by Hurricane Orlene in the Southwest US comes after Hurricane Ian left a trail of destruction in the Southeast US, killing dozens of people since it first made landfall in Florida.

Local officials confirmed that Ian killed at least 72 people in Florida, while North Carolina's governor's office said that four people have been reported dead due to the storm, as cited by ABC News.

The Category 4 storm struck Florida's southwest coast on Wednesday afternoon, September 28, causing widespread damage, strong winds, and life-threatening, record-breaking storm surges.

The relatively large number of death toll also occurred in spite of pre-emptive evacuations prior to the Ian's arrival in the Sunshine State last week.

Based on ABC News' reported information from the Florida Medical Examiners Commission and inquiries with local authorities, the deaths span from multiple Florida countries, including 35 in Lee County and 23 in Charlotte County.

Related deaths of five people were recorded in Volusia County, three in Collier County, two in Sarasota County, and one death were reported for each of Lake, Hendry, and Manatee counties.

The death toll is expected to rise amid ongoing search and rescue operations.