Hurricane Olaf Recap

Published Oct 27 2015 10:54 AM EDT

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Olaf as a Category 4 hurricane on Oct. 19, 2015.  (NASA)

Olaf moved across the eastern and central Pacific Ocean basins Oct. 14-27, 2015. It did not directly impact land, but did generate high surf that affected Hawaii for several days.
Here's a recap of Olaf:

• Olaf formed as Tropical Depression 19-E on the evening of Oct. 14. It then strengthened into Tropical Storm Olaf two days later on the evening of Oct. 16. Olaf became the eleventh hurricane of the eastern Pacific season on the morning of Oct. 18.
• On the morning of Oct. 19, Olaf strengthened into a major hurricane (Category 3 or stronger). By that afternoon it had rapidly intensified to a Category 4 hurricane. Olaf remained a Category 4 until early Wednesday morning, Oct. 21, when it was downgraded to a strong Category 3 hurricane.
• According to the National Hurricane Center, Olaf was the farthest south forming major hurricane on record in the eastern Pacific basin. Reliable records in that basin began in 1971.
• Hurricane specialist Eric Blake from the National Hurricane Center says Olaf was the first tropical cyclone on record to track from the eastern Pacific basin (east of 140 degrees W longitude) to the central Pacific basin (west of 140 degrees W longitude), then back to the eastern Pacific basin again.

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