Wutip was a tropical storm in the South China Sea early Thursday China Standard Time, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said in its latest advisory. The tropical storm had sustained wind speeds of 46 miles per hour.

Hurricane Barbara and Tropical Storm Cosme mark the second and third named storms of the Eastern Pacific hurricane season.

The third tropical storm of the season has formed in the eastern Pacific, while storms and hail plague the US Plains.

Two meteorological factors preclude the development of tropical storms off the coast of South America, but the historical record is very short compared to the rest of the world.

People tend to underestimate how powerful tropical storms and hurricanes can be. These tropical systems can bring storm surge, inland flooding, high winds, rip currents, rough surf, and tornadoes.

An increase in tropical moisture will bring rain/storm chances up. Morning showers coming in along the coast, then afternoon thunderstorms developing and pushing inland in the afternoon/evening.

Fernand is a relatively new name. It’s only been used twice, in 2013 and 2019. Both versions of Fernand were tropical storms, and both made landfall in Mexico.

Maps from the National Weather Service show the path of Tropical Storm Barbara, which is heading north-northwest toward Southern California