Hurricane Iona strengthens to Category 3 storm off southern Hawaii
Iona was located about 790 miles south-southeast of Hawaii's capital city of Honolulu on Tuesday morning, with maximum sustained winds near 115 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center based in Miami. Forecasters said the storm didn't pose an immediate threat to the Hawaiian Islands and no coastal watches or warnings are in effect.
Iona was expected to move westward for the next couple of days, forecasters with the hurricane center said.
"Additional strengthening is forecast tonight, with steady weakening expected to begin by Wednesday," the center said.
Iona initially formed as a tropical depression late Saturday night, forecasters said. As the depression gained strength, it became the first named storm in the central Pacific Ocean this season.
It is one of two major weather systems in the central Pacific Ocean. Tropical Storm Keli is farther south with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. It was about 960 miles southeast of Honolulu and was moving west at about 12 mph.
The eastern Pacific has seen several named storms so far this season. Last month, Erick made landfall in Mexico as a Category 3 hurricane.
Earlier this month, Flossie also reached Category 3 strength as it skirted up the Mexican coast, but ultimately didn't make landfall. Barbara, this season's first hurricane in the eastern Pacific, reached Category 1 strength off Mexico's coast and also didn't make landfall.
The Atlantic Ocean has seen three named tropical storms so far this year. Forecasters at Colorado State University expect the Atlantic season to be above average with 16 named storms, eight of which are expected to be hurricanes.
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