 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 became the earliest named storm and hurricane in the satellite era in the east Pacific proper . 
