Tropical Storm Odalys Strengthens in Eastern Pacific, Could Become a Hurricane by Tonight
If you're sailing anywhere in the Eastern Pacific this week, note that Odalys was tracking north-northwest as of the September 22 advisory, with a turn toward the northeast and east-northeast expected over the next day and through week's end. No coastal watches, warnings, or land hazards are in effect yet, per the NHC. Check the next NHC advisory (due 8:00 AM PDT) and with your cruise line for any itinerary or port updates as the storm's path develops.
Odalys is a textbook early-season Eastern Pacific system — 65 mph winds, 998 mb pressure, sitting roughly 1,455 miles offshore of Baja with no land hazards flagged yet. The NHC's own track has it curving northeast then east through the week, which is the detail cruisers should watch rather than the "hurricane" headline itself. My read: this is a monitor-don't-panic situation for now, since there are zero coastal watches or warnings as of this advisory. If I had a Mexican Riviera or Panama Canal sailing on the calendar, I'd be checking the 8:00 AM PDT NHC update rather than my cruise line's app, since the line will likely just be relaying the same NHC bulletin. Storms this far out can fizzle or veer — but a 998 mb system forecast to strengthen tonight is worth a bookmark, not a rebooking, yet.