Tropical Storm Norbert formed in the Eastern Pacific Thursday morning, becoming the 16th named system in what has rapidly developed into a supercharged tropical season. Moving westward with maximum sustained winds near 40 mph, forecasters and oceanographers are keeping a watchful eye on the storm’s evolving trajectory as it churns across warm, fuel-rich waters southwest of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. According to official advisories from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and NOAA meteorologists, favorable environmental conditions will support steady intensification over the coming days, with forecast models indicating Norbert could strengthen into a hurricane by the weekend as it tracks deeper into the open Pacific basin. “Gradual strengthening is forecast over the next couple of days, and Norbert is expected to become a hurricane by Saturday as it continues moving west over unusually warm ocean waters,” officials from the NHC and NOAA noted.…