Three category 4 hurricanes are simultaneously traversing through the Pacific Ocean, a rare meteorological event that has never before been seen or recorded. In a historic first, all three category 4 hurricanes are located in the central and eastern Pacific basins at the same time, according to The Weather Channel.
Hurricane Ignacio, which is closest to Hawaii among the three, is forecast to move north of the Hawaiian islands by Tuesday. It is not expected to hit the coast, but it will bring heavy rain and strong winds.
From having maximum sustained winds of 140 mph, Ignacio has weakened to 105 mph and has been downgraded to a category 3 hurricane as of 5 p.m. Sunday. It continues to threaten not just Hawaii but also the Philippines, Japan and Taiwan, Science Alert reports.
Hurricane Kilo was spotted southwest of the islands. Having maximum sustained winds of up to 135 mph, it moves north-northwest over the Pacific Ocean and poses the least threat among the three hurricanes because of its location.
Hurricane Jimena, on the other hand, has maximum sustained winds of 150 mph and is the strongest of the three, according to NOAA.
Kilo, like Ignacio, has also been lowered to category 3 status. However, Jimena is still at category 4. Its path is not yet determined.
Experts are attributing the simultaneous formation of the three hurricanes to El Niño, and they are saying similar meteorological events can be expected in the future as the Pacific continues to heat up, News Corp Australia reports.
Historic central/eastern Pacific outbreak- 3 major hurricanes at once for the first time on record! #ElNino #climate pic.twitter.com/t4fdIZwhOO
— Eric Blake (@EricBlake12) August 29, 2015
