Hilda becomes hurricane far from Hawaii, one of 3 storms in East Pacific
COURTESY NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER
The five-day forecast for Hurricane Hilda as of this evening.
COURTESY NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER
The five-day forecast for Tropical Depression Nine-E as of this evening.
Update, 11 p.m.
Hurricane Hilda’s strengthening came to a halt tonight in the East Pacific.
Hilda, with winds at 85 mph, is about 860 miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Some slight strengthening is possible Sunday, but weakening is likely to occur on Monday and Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Hilda is moving toward the west-northwest near 10 mph. A west-northwest to northwest motion at a slower forward speed is expected during the next few days.
Also in the East Pacific, Nine-E weakened to a post-tropical cyclone. Nine-E, with winds at 30 mph, is 1,405 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Little change in strength is expected over the next couple of days.
5 p.m.
The National Hurricane Center is monitoring three tropical weather systems in the East Pacific, including one that grew into a hurricane this afternoon.
At 5 p.m., Hurricane Hilda had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph and was located about 2,426 miles east-southeast of Hilo and 825 miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. It was moving west-northwest at 10 mph, according to the hurricane center.
Additional strengthening was expected through Sunday, but Hilda was expected to be a weakening tropical storm by Thursday when it will still be hundreds of miles from the Central Pacific.
Hurricane-force winds extend up to 25 miles from the storm’s center and tropical storm-force winds extend 90 miles, forecasters said.
The hurricane center in Miami is also watching two other storm systems in the region.
Tropical Depression Nine-E is closer to Hawaii, about 1,900 miles east-southeast of Hilo, with maximum sustained winds of 30 mph, and was stationary as of 5 p.m.
Nine-E is expected to grow into a weak tropical storm as it moves northwest and enters the Central Pacific by Thursday, forecasters said.
A third Pacific system is closer to the coast of Mexico and has an 80% chance of becoming a tropical cyclone in the next two days, the hurricane center said.
There is no threat to land from any of the three storms.
