Kenneth — 2023

A well-defined low pressure area formed in the eastern North Pacific after an easterly wave crossed Central America and interacted with the monsoon trough. That low became a tropical cyclone on 19 September 2023. Kenneth was short lived, existing as a tropical cyclone from 19–22 September as it moved generally northwestward and then northward well offshore of Mexico before weakening and dissipating by 25 September. Kenneth remained over open ocean and did not make landfall. No coastal watches or warnings were issued, and there were no ship or land reports of tropical-storm-force winds associated with the system. The storm’s peak intensity was 45 knots (about 52 mph) with an estimated minimum central pressure of 1000 millibars. That peak intensity was reached from 1200 UTC 20 September through 0600 UTC 21 September, making Kenneth a moderate tropical storm at its strongest. There were no reports of storm surge or measurable rainfall impacts on land. Because Kenneth stayed far from shore, the NHC record contains no observations of surge heights or significant rainfall totals at named cities or counties. No casualties or damage were reported in association with Kenneth. The NHC noted there were no direct fatalities and no reported impacts to coastal areas. Something noteworthy: the cyclone formed with relatively little advance notice—the first low-probability mention in the 7-day outlook was issued about 78 hours before genesis—so genesis was not highly anticipated. Forecasts of Kenneth’s intensity were generally good (showing correctly that it would be a short-lived, mid-range tropical storm), while track forecast errors were a bit larger than recent averages at some short lead times and smaller at others.