Felicia weakens to tropical storm far east of Hilo

As of 11 a.m. the former-Category 4 hurricane was packing 65 mph winds as it marched west at 14 mph, according to Miami-based National Hurricane Center forecasters who will monitor the storm until it crosses into the Central Pacific.
Subscribe Now Choose a package that suits your preferences.
Start Free Account Get access to 7 premium stories every month for FREE!
Already a Subscriber? Current print subscriber? Activate your complimentary Digital account.

Felicia weakened to a tropical storm Monday morning some 1,445 miles east of Hilo.

As of 11 a.m. the former-Category 4 hurricane was packing 65 mph winds as it marched west at 14 mph, according to Miami-based National Hurricane Center forecasters who will monitor the storm until it crosses into the Central Pacific.

Continued weakening is forecast as the storm is expected to encounter very dry air and cooler sea surface temperatures as it makes it was toward the Central Pacific. Felicia is expected to become a tropical depression before crossing into the Central Pacific Tuesday night.

Farther east in the Eastern Pacific, forecasters are monitoring Tropical Depression Guillermo, which formed Monday morning about 685 miles off the southern tip of Baja California. The depression was forecast to become a remnant low by Wednesday night, if not sooner.

The National Weather Service’s Central Pacific Hurricane Warning Center predicted a below-average hurricane season this year.

Two to five tropical cyclones — a category that includes depressions, storms and hurricanes — were expected to pass through the basin this year. The 2021 season started June 1 and runs through Nov. 30, though tropical cyclones have formed outside that period.