The National Hurricane Center is keeping tabs on Hurricane Darby as the storm makes its way toward the Hawaiian Islands.
As of Monday evening, Douglas was a Category 4 storm was spinning 140 mph winds and tracking west at 17 mph approximately 1,900 miles east of Hilo, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, which will monitor the storm until it crosses 140 degrees west longitude, at which time the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu will assume the role.
Hurricane-force winds Monday evening extended outward from the center of the storm up to 10 miles while tropical-storm force winds reached outward up to 60 miles.
Forecasters expact little change in strength during the next day or so, but rapid weakening is expected after that. By Thursday morning, the storm’s expected to have 75 mph winds as it nears the Central Pacific.
The National Weather Service in May predicted another weak hurricane season. Forecasters said there was a 60% chance of lower-than-normal tropical storm activity, and only a 10% chance of higher-than-normal activity.
Only two to four tropical cyclones are anticipated to form or move into the Central Pacific this hurricane season, which is even fewer than the NWS predicted last year.
In 2021, the NWS predicted two to five cyclones, but only one actually developed.