Tropical Storm Elida could become a hurricane later this week, reaching "peak intensity" by Friday.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. The typically unremarkable central Pacific hurricane basin saw a surprising uptick in storms in late July as both major Hurricane Iona and Tropical Storm Keli spun harmlessly far from land.

Tropical Storm Elida formed early Wednesday in the Eastern Pacific, roughly 560 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, as a strengthening El Niño fuels an active start to the basin's hurricane season.

"The cool waters from this climate driver could have a dampening effect on hurricane activity," one meteorologist said.