Tropical Storm Lane expected to turn into major hurricane

Tropical Storm Lane formed far out in the East Pacific Wednesday and is forecast to be a Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph winds about 1,000 miles southeast of Hawaii island when it enters the Central Pacific on Saturday.

On Wednesday morning, Lane had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph but it is expected to strengthen over the next three days as it travels west, said Derek Wroe, lead forecaster with the National Weather Service in Honolulu. The forecast calls for Lane to reach hurricane strength today and start moving west-northwest late this week.

At 5 p.m. Wednesday, Lane was about 2,060 miles southeast of Hilo. At 8 p.m., the storm was bearing maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and moving west at 13 mph. Tropical storm-force winds of 39 mph or more extended up to 35 miles from Lane’s center, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, which monitors East Pacific storms.

“Warm ocean water is the fuel for hurricanes,” Wroe said earlier Wednesday. “Expect intensification at least into the weekend. By midday Saturday, it should be approximately 1,000 miles southeast of the Big Island.”

By Monday, Lane is expected to still be a major hurricane a few hundreds of miles southeast of Hilo, with sustained winds of 120 mph and heading northwest, according to the five-day forecast.

National Hurricane Center forecasters said, “Lane seems destined” to become a major hurricane like Hector, which passed safely south of the islands last week.