Hurricane Celia, located less than 2,000 miles east-southeast of Hilo, strengthened into a Category 2 storm Monday.
The second hurricane of the season, Celia had sustained winds of 100 mph and was 1,870 miles from Hilo and 1,225 miles west of Baja California as of 5 p.m. Monday.
Celia was moving west-northwest at 10 mph and was expected to slow today as it moves over cooler waters, according to officials at the National Weather Service’s Eastern Pacific Hurricane Center.
Forecasters at the National Weather Service predicted Celia would move west overnight into Tuesday before turning west-northwest.
It should cross into the Central Pacific on Thursday as a tropical storm with winds of about 50 mph.
Celia is too far away to predict how it might affect the weather in Hawaii, other than sending surf to east shores later this week.
Meanwhile, remnant moisture from former Hurricane Blas could bring an increase in showers to the islands Thursday and Friday as the storm passes near Hawaii.
Remnants of former Tropical Storm Agatha were
expected to move across the islands Monday evening into Tuesday morning, bringing a possible increase in showers.
Meanwhile, about 285 miles south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, the latest in a string of tropical cyclones formed in the East Pacific.
Tropical Depression Five-E had winds of 35 mph, was moving west-northwest at 9 mph, and was expected to strengthen into a tropical storm by today and could reach hurricane strength later this week.
If it reaches tropical storm strength, it will be named Darby.
Forecasters are also watching another area of storm activity east of Celia that could also develop into a tropical cyclone later in the week.