Major Hurricane Ignacio to Near Hawaii Early Next Week

By Chyna Glenn, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist

August 29,2015; 11:58PM,EDT

 

 

Ignacio has rapidly strengthened into a major hurricane as it tracks toward the Hawaiian Islands.
There are now three major hurricanes churning in the Pacific Ocean with Ignacio joining Hurricane Jimena and Hurricane Kilo in achieving that status.

Ignacio Intensifies into a Major Hurricane

Latest indications point toward Jimena remaining over the open waters of the Pacific this week, posing only hazards to shipping interests. Ignacio, on the other hand, will near Hawaii with some impacts set to be felt across the islands.
The good news is that based on the current track of Ignacio, Hawaii will escape the worst of the hurricane.

Ignacio is nearly 600 miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii, and not expected to pass north of the islands until Monday night and Tuesday, but impacts will begin sooner.
"Ignacio will pass to the north of the Hawaiian Islands impacting the islands with rough surf and strong rip currents," warned AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Mike LeSeney.
The threat for rip currents and rough seas increase across the Hawaiian Islands (in an east-to-west fashion) on Sunday, with the potential to become quite dangerous late on Sunday into Monday.

This satellite image of Ignacio is courtesy of NOAA.
Ignacio will continue to shift towards the northwest, bringing it closer to the Hawaiian Islands on Monday.
The northwestward progression will bring Ignacio into an environment of cooler ocean waters, drier air, and increasing shear.
These factors will begin to weaken Ignacio by Monday, and this trend will cause Ignacio to become a tropical storm by Wednesday as it passes just north of Hawaii.
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As Ignacio treks to the north of Hawaii, the heaviest rain and damaging winds will bypass the islands. However, surf will remain dangerous and locally heavy rain and gusty winds are still expected Monday through Wednesday.
Seas will be most dangerous to boaters and swimmers at the north- and east-facing beaches. Some of the rain will be heavy enough to trigger flash flooding and mudslides, especially but not limited to the windward locations on the eastern islands.
Hilo will be the first to feel the impacts of Ignacio starting on Monday, with Honolulu experiencing impacts closer to Tuesday as Ignacio parallels the islands.

Ignacio will steadily weaken through the middle of the week. A few showers, heavy at times, will linger on Wednesday before this system pulls away from the region.
"Ignacio would be the first hurricane to approach Hawaii from the east and pass to the north as a hurricane since Hiki in 1950," stated AccuWeather Meteorologist Dave Samuhel.
Trio of Category 4 hurricanes in the Pacific: Kilo, Ignacio, Jimena (Image/NASA) During Hiki, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center reports the Kanalohuluhulu Ranger Station on Kauai measured more than 52 inches of rain between noon on Aug. 14 and noon of Aug. 18.
"Such heavy totals likely resulted from Hiki turning to the southwest, allowing tropical moisture to be fed into Kauai," stated AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski. "With Ignacio set to maintain its northwest heading, a repeat of such extreme rainfall is not expected."