Just a heads up. Stay alert and prepared as it is still hurricane season for another few months here in Hawaii. Tracking estimates show this one on a very similar path as Hector, which just passed South of Our Island and hopefully this one will also. We will know more in next few days, but here is current information:
Tropical Storm Lane formed far out in the East Pacific today and is forecast to be a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds about 1,000 miles southeast of Hawaii island when it enters the Central Pacific on Saturday.
This morning, Lane only had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph but it is expected to strengthen over the next three days traveling west at about 14 mph, said Derek Wroe, lead forecaster with the National Weather Service in Honolulu. The forecast call for Lane to start moving west-northwest later this week.
At 5 a.m. today, Lane was about 2,180 miles southeast of Hilo. Tropical storm-force winds extend up to 25 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. “Expect intensification at least into the weekend. By mid-day Saturday, it should be approximately 1,000 miles southeast of the Big Island.”
By Sunday, Lane is expected to be a major hurricane, with sustained winds of 120 mph and heading northwest, according to the five-day forecast.
National Hurricane Center forecasters said, “Lane seems destined to eventually become a Category 4 hurricane like Hector,” which passed safely south of the islands last week.