Category: News of the Jason-2 mission
Jimena began as a tropical depression on the 28^th of August off Mexico. It intensified rapidly as it was moving northward. It became a powerful hurricane Category 5, the 1^st of September when it approached the Southern part of the Baja California peninsula (300 km from Mexican coasts). Jimena weakened to Category 2 the 1^st of September but its activity is still affecting the area with rains and tides  higher than normal. 

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Hurricane Jimena intensity overlayed on a merged (SLA) map for the 1st of September. The hurricane intensity scale is purple for a tropical depression, blue for cat. 1, green for cat. 2, yellow for cat. 3, orange for cat.4 and red for category 5. The dates near the path indicates the date when the typhoon passed (Credits CLS/Cnes Ssalto/Duacs).

Significant wave heights and waves speed deduced from the near-real time data of the OSTM/Jason-2 echo radar altimeter show the strength of the hurricane all along its path. Significant wave heights of more than 5 m and wind speed close to 25 m/s are observed along the pass 028 (5 September) at the South of Baja California peninsula.

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Significant Wave Heigth in m (left) and Wind speed modulus (right) in m/s over the Eastern Pacific from the IGDR of OSTM/Jason-2. The passes comprises between 104 and 245 of the cycle 042 and passes between 17 to 93 of the cycle 043 flew over the area between the 26th  of August and the 05th of September 2009, just as the hurricane was there.