HONOLULU (AP) – Hurricane Iona has intensified to a Category 3 storm several hundred miles south-southeast of Hawaii, but the U.S. National Hurricane Center has indicated that it poses no threat to the islands. As of Tuesday, Iona was approximately 790 miles (1,271 kilometers) off the coast of Honolulu, with maximum sustained winds reaching 115 mph (185 km/h).
According to the latest advisory from the Miami-based center, further strengthening of Hurricane Iona is expected later on Tuesday, although the storm is predicted to begin steady weakening by Wednesday. This storm marks the beginning of the hurricane season in the central Pacific, emerging from a tropical depression on Sunday. Iona continues its westward path over warm and open ocean waters.
Currently, no coastal watches or warnings are in effect for Hawaii. In addition to Iona, another weather system, Tropical Storm Keli, is situated further south. Keli has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 km/h) and is approximately 960 miles (1,550 kilometers) southeast of Honolulu, moving westward at about 12 mph (19 km/h).
On Monday, the administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency conducted a statewide conference call, involving all counties. During this call, the National Weather Service offered an assessment and status update regarding the storms. Agency spokesperson Kiele Amundson confirmed in an email that all counties are actively monitoring the situation.
While there might be indirect impacts from these weather systems, such as swells, they are considered relatively small and are moving westward without significant effects. Derek Wroe from the National Weather Service in Honolulu emphasized that a large swell generated several hundred miles east of New Zealand is expected to reach Hawaii by Thursday, coinciding with the passage of the storms.
Wroe cautioned that people may mistakenly attribute the swell energy to the tropical systems; however, they are not connected. The agency continues to keep track of the developments of both Hurricane Iona and Tropical Storm Keli, ensuring the safety and preparedness of the islands as the weather evolves.
