(Source: Weather.com)
We're in the midst of hurricane season in Hawaii, but something very rare just happened this weekend. On Saturday, and into Sunday morning, there were three Category 4 hurricanes ongoing simultaneously in the Pacific Ocean.
At 11 p.m. EDT Saturday, Hurricane Kilo (135 mph) was located well southwest of the Hawaiian Islands followed by Hurricane Ignacio (140 mph) to the east of Hawaii and Hurricane Jimena (140 mph) in the eastern Pacific. Kilo was the last of the trio to reach Category 4 status, doing so on Saturday evening. For reference, hurricanes with maximum sustained winds of 130-156 mph are classified as Category 4, which is the second highest category on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
However, by 5 p.m. EDT Sunday both Kilo and Ignacio had begun to weaken and were classified as Category 3 hurricanes, while Jimena maintained its Category 4 status. This is the first recorded occurrence of three Category 4 hurricanes in the central and eastern Pacific basins at the same time.
Current Storm Update:
With winds of 105 mph this week, Ignacio has moved north and lost some of its power, with an official downgrade to a tropical storm today. It appears it is now well north of Hawaii and is no longer a direct threat to the islands. However, dangerous surf and rip currents from Ignacio will continue to affect the east-facing shores of Hawaii. Hurricane Jimena is making its way behind Ignacio and currently a Category 2 hurricane with winds greater than 110 mph. Forecasts show Jimena slowing as it reaches the Central Pacific and is expected to weaken this week. Forecasts so far estimate it is not a threat to land but high surf warnings have been issued until Thursday evening.