WASHINGTON, DC, United States — A rare trio of hurricanes were churning through the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, which scientists attributed to waters warmed by a historically strong El Niño phenomenon.
Tropical Storm Marie strengthened into a hurricane late Wednesday off the coast of Baja California, lining up behind hurricanes Karina and Lowell — both rated as major Category 4 — which were making their way westward across the Pacific.
Three tropical cyclones are “definitely rare to see”, Julia Cole, a climate scientist at the University of Michigan, told AFP.
“El Niño warming sets the stage for these storms, which are fuelled in large part by warm waters. When the tropical Pacific is warmer than normal, we see an increase in strong storms,” Cole said.
Lowell was about 450 miles (725 kilometres) south of Hilo, Hawaii, and “is expected to remain a major hurricane for the next several days” as it moves west, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
“Swells from Lowell are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions in portions of the Hawaiian Islands during the next several days,” the NHC said, adding that its long-range track and intensity forecasts were “more uncertain than usual”.
