Celia weakens as Tropical Storm Darby gains steam
NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER
This graphic shows the projected path and intensity of Hurricane Celia over the next five days.
NASA/NOAA/DOD
The Suomi NPP satellite showed thunderstorms around Tropical Depression 4’s center of circulation on Monday.
The second hurricane of the season, Hurricane Celia, continued to weaken today in the East Pacific as Tropical Storm Darby gained strength behind it.
At 5 p.m. Hawaii time, Celia had sustained winds of 75 mph, down from 100 mph Monday, about 1,360 miles west-southwest of Baja California and roughly 1,700 miles east of Hilo.
Celia was moving northwest at 12 mph and should continue to weaken to a tropical storm Wednesday as it moves over cooler waters, according to officials at the National Weather Service’s Eastern Pacific Hurricane Center.
It should cross into the Central Pacific Friday as a tropical depression.
Celia is forecast to pass north of the islands Sunday into Monday and could bring a greater chance of rain next week, but it is too far away to predict exactly how the storm will affect the weather in Hawaii, other than sending surf to east shores late this week.
Moisture from the former Hurricane Blas — now no longer a tropical cyclone — may bring an increase in showers to the islands Thursday night and Friday as the storm passes near Hawaii.
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Meanwhile, a new storm — Tropical Storm Darby continues to strengthen 475 miles west-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. At 11 a.m., Darby had winds of 65 mph and was moving west at 10 mph.
Darby is expected to reach hurricane status Wednesday.
Forecasters are also watching another area of storm activity east of Darby that could also develop into a tropical cyclone later in the week.
