07 / 10
Three hurricanes move across Pacific
Lowell, Karina and Marie formed a rare three-hurricane sequence over an unusually warm eastern Pacific.
What happened
Lowell, Karina and Marie moved across the eastern Pacific as an unusually strong El Niño warmed surface waters. Marie became a hurricane late Wednesday off Baja California, joining Lowell and Karina. Lowell reached the highest hurricane category, while the systems continued westward over the Pacific.
Numbers
- 3 hurricanesmoving together across the Pacific — Lowell, Karina and Marie
- Category 5Lowell's peak hurricane classification — the highest category
- 69% chanceEl Niño becomes strongest recorded — forecast cited by NOAA
Questions
- Why did three systems develop together?
- Warm tropical Pacific waters supplied energy, while El Niño reduced vertical wind shear that can otherwise limit hurricane intensification.
- What does El Niño change globally?
- It alters rainfall and temperatures beyond the Pacific, including reduced fisheries in South America and less rain in parts of Africa.
- Why is Acapulco watching closely?
- The Mexican resort is still recovering from Hurricane Otis, and local emergency officials see similar warm-water conditions as a threat.
- Were the islands in their paths?
- Forecasts placed Lowell well south of Hawaii and Karina northeast of it, while Marie was near Baja California.
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The catch
The coverage gives no confirmed landfall or damage assessment for the three systems.
Tracks can change as storms move.