Riviera Maya, Q.R. — Hurricane Iona is near category 4 status as it passes south of Hawaii. The storm quickly took on hurricane status after developing in the Eastern Pacific over the weekend. According to the NWS Central Pacific Hurricane Center Honolulu, Iona is almost a Category 4 hurricane that remains well south of the islands.
The National Hurricane Center out of Miami said Hurricane Iona is in the process of passing Hilo, the Big Island of Hawaii, as a Category 3. Currently Iona has maximum sustained winds of 250 km/h (125 mph) as it moves along at 20 km/h (13 mph).
Both agencies have reported that there are no coastal watches or warnings in effect since Hurricane Iona does not pose any threat to land. The National Hurricane Center says Iona is moving toward the west, a general motion that is expected during the next few days followed by a turn to the west-northwest.
While Hurricane Iona is forecast to gain additional strength today, it will lose momentum as it moves across the Pacific and is expected to weaken by Wednesday. It is currently being followed by another system that is currently Tropical Storm Keli.
“Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles (35 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles (130 km),” the NOAA reported.
The Atlantic Basin, on the other hand, remains eerily quiet with only four named storms this year, three of which did not make landfall. Quintana Roo meteorologist Luis Antonio Morales Ocaña chalks up the quiet season to Sahara dust and cool Atlantic waters.
Morales Ocaña warned that these conditions could quickly change with the arrival of tropical waves from Africa since the Caribbean Sea is experiencing warmer temperatures that could result in the development of storms.
