Hurricane Douglas could sweep through Hawaii as a tropical storm or hurricane later this weekend.
Douglas became the first hurricane of the Eastern Pacific season Wednesday, among the top five latest-forming first hurricanes for that basin in the satellite era - since the late 1960s - as noted by UNC-Charlotte graduate student Eric Webb.
Douglas is forecast to gain strength as it tracks west-northwest during the next day or so. In fact, it has the potential to rapidly intensify, defined as an increase in maximum sustained winds of at least 35 mph in 24 hours or less.
By Friday, Douglas should begin a weakening trend as it encounters cooler water, drier air and some wind shear, all nemeses of tropical cyclones.
The question, though, is how fast does Douglas weaken.
That's because Douglas' forecast path brings it very close, if not directly over at least parts of the Hawaiian Islands Sunday into Monday.
If it weakens slower, Douglas could pack more of a punch as perhaps a low-end hurricane by the time it reaches Hawaii. A faster weakening would bring Douglas into the islands as a tropical storm.
Current Information and Projected PathHigh surf generated by Douglas should arrive in the islands by Saturday, particularly on east-facing coasts.
Douglas is increasingly likely to bring heavy rain and wind impacts to parts of Hawaii by Sunday, but it's too early to provide specific details, given the uncertainty discussed earlier, and some uncertainty in the exact track.
Check back to weather.com for updates on Douglas in the coming days.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
No comments:
Post a Comment