Trio of hurricanes on the march

HONOLULU – It’s never been seen before – three Category 4 hurricanes marching across the Pacific at the same time.

It’s an event which has Hawai‘i battening down the hatches.

The US Weather Channel notes it is the first time three Category 4 hurricanes have been seen at the same time.

And it also represents something of a leap as even three concurrent Category 3 hurricanes have never yet been recorded.

All three hurricanes – named Hurricane Kilo, Hurricane Ignacio and Hurricane Jimena – are swirling westward across the eastern and central Pacific at the same time.

The image of the three hurricanes was released by NASA this week and although the static satellite photograph has a certain awesome beauty, its clarity depicts the massive amount of threat that the situation poses to Japan, Hawai‘i, Taiwan and the Philippines.

The approach of Hurricane Ignacio is likely to bring high rainfall and a six-metre rise in the level of the ocean surrounding the Hawaiian islands.

Hawai‘i’s Big Island has braced for possible impact but Ignacio will likely track north of the islands and is expected to weaken to a Category 3 with maximum sustained winds of 185 kph. On Monday morning, it was about 320 miles east of Hilo, Hawai‘i.

Forecasters warned there was still some uncertainty about its path, and authorities should continue to monitor the situation.

Hurricane Jimena on Monday had maximum sustained winds of 240kph and was 2200km east of Hilo. Jimena was a Category 4 hurricane but not threatening any land, forecasters said.

Hurricane Kilo was also a Category 4 hurricane on Monday with winds of up to 220kph.

It was already well west of Hawai‘i and about 850km south of the Pacific Island of Midway. No coastal watches were in effect from Kilo on Monday.

Some experts linked the unusual weather event to the strengthening El Niño weather pattern being observed in the Pacific.This year’s El Niño could be among the strongest in the historical record, according to the Climate Prediction Centre.