00:38 Dorian Leaves Colder Waters in its Wake Dorian leaves behind colder waters, meteorologist Danielle Banks explains. At a Glance The Eastern Pacific hurricane season has begun a week early. Tropical Depression One-E formed Thursday afternoon in the open waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. This system will pose no threat to land and is not expected to become a tropical storm. Tropical Depression One-E formed on Thursday afternoon well off the west coast of Mexico, kicking off the 2018 Eastern Pacific hurricane season, which doesn't officially begin until May 15. The tropical depression is currently centered more than 1,400 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California.​​​​​​

Additional strengthening is not expected as One-E is approaching an area of stronger wind shear to its west. Tropical Depression One-E will, therefore, be short-lived, and given it's far from land and has weak steering winds, it will be no threat to land as it drifts toward the west-northwest through Friday night. Though not expected, if the depression were to become a tropical storm, it would earn the first name of the 2018 Eastern Pacific hurricane season: Aletta. (MORE: 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook )

Another Early Start? This is a case of déjà vu. One year ago Wednesday, Tropical Storm Adrian became the earliest tropical cyclone on record to form in the Eastern Pacific Basin. Adrian became a tropical depression, then strengthened to a tropical storm on May 9, 2017, south of the Pacific coasts of Mexico and Guatemala before wind shear tore it apart the following day. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15 through Nov. 30, beginning roughly two weeks earlier than the Atlantic hurricane season. According to the National Hurricane Center, an average Eastern Pacific season has its first named storm by the second week of June . Since 2000, however, 19 named storms have formed in May in the Eastern Pacific Basin. Nine of those storms eventually became hurricanes and six became major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger ). (MORE: When the Atlantic Hurricane Season Starts Early )

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/epac-may-storms-2000-2016.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/epac-may-storms-2000-2016.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/epac-may-storms-2000-2016.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" > Tracks of all Eastern Pacific named storms to form in May from 2000 to 2016. (NOAA Historical Hurricane Tracks) (NOAA Historical Hurricane Tracks)

And, unlike the current system, some of these storms had land impact. Five of those May storms made landfall either in southeastern Mexico's Gulf of Tehuantepec or in Central America. One of these, Barbara in 2013, made landfall as a hurricane along the Gulf of Tehuantepec coast. The 2015 Eastern Pacific hurricane season got off to a record start , including a frenetic May, fueled by an intensifying El Niño. Hurricane Andres formed over the open waters on May 29, then intensified to Category 4 intensity as the calendar turned to June. That was followed immediately by another Category 4 hurricane, Blanca , which first became a tropical depression on May 31. Blanca went on to become the earliest landfalling tropical storm on record in Baja California, moving ashore on June 8. (MORE: Here's How Eastern Pacific Storms Can Eventually Impact the U.S. )
A tropical depression forms in the Pacific ocean. It is not supposed to threaten land, and is also the first storm of the season.