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CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER
NOAA / NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
This composite satellite image of the Central Pacific taken Tuesday morning shows Hurricane Loke in the upper left, Tropical Depression Kilo (lower left) and an area of moisture over the main Hawaiian islands.
CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER
NOAA / NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
This composite satellite image of the East Pacific shows Tropical Depression 12E and an area of stormy weather south of Mexico Tuesday morning that could become a tropical cyclone later this week.
CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER
Another tropical depression, the 12th of the Eastern Pacific hurricane season, is expected to become a hurricane before weakening on a path toward Hawaii.
At 5 a.m., Tropical Depression 12E was packing sustained winds of 35 mph and moving slowly west at 6 mph. It was 1,565 miles east-southeast of Hilo.
It is forecast to become a tropical storm on Tuesday and a hurricane on Thursday, before weakening back to tropical storm strength as it approaches Hawaii island.
The storm could bring heavy rain to the islands early next week.
Forecasters cautioned that it is still to early to know the exact path of the storm. However, “the moisture surge surrounding the cyclone may produce significant effects … as the events of the last couple of days demonstrated,” forecasters said.
Behind it, another area of rains and thunderstorms about 575 miles south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico has an 90 percent chance of intensifying over the next 5 days.
Two storms swirling in the Central Pacific are moving through the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, but are not likely to directly impact the main Hawaiian Islands.
Tropical Depression Kilo will not bring strong winds to the main islands, but moisture associated with the storm created the muggy conditions this and last week, and the heavy rain and thunderstorms Sunday and Monday.
The storm’s projected path should take it west, away from the islands.
At 8 a.m. Tuesday, Kilo was about 650 miles west-southwest of Honolulu and about 185 miles northeast of Johnston Island. The storm, with maximum sustained winds of 30 mph, was moving north at 3 mph. It remained unorganized Tuesday morning, but is still expected to strengthen into a tropical storm.
Loke became a hurricane overnight with sustained winds of 75 mph.
At 8 a.m., Hurricane Loke was 335 miles east-northeast of Midway Island, moving north-northeast at 17 mph.
Loke is expected to move into cooler waters, weaken and be absorbed into what’s left of former-Typhoon Atasani in the North Pacific.
