Tropical Depression One-E moved slowly to the northwest while strengthening slowly due to easterly vertical wind shear. The depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Alma on May 14. The storm quickly strengthened once the vertical wind shear relaxed and was near hurricane force by the morning of May 15. Hurricane Alma reached its peak intensity early on May 16 with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (135 km/h). The hurricane entered an area of southwesterly wind shear caused by an upper-level ridge of high pressure. The increasing vertical wind shear and cooler water caused Alma to weaken to a tropical storm. On May 17, the storm continued to weaken and became a depression. The next day, the system dissipated as a tropical cyclone well west of mainland Mexico. Alma was the earliest named storm and hurricane in the satellite era in the east Pacific proper at the time; the storm was subsequently eclipsed by Adrian in 2017.