Hurricane Nolo reaches Category 3 strength in remote Pacific

Hurricane Nolo strengthened into a Category 3 storm in the remote Pacific Ocean on Saturday, with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center. The storm was about 210 miles south-southwest of Maro Reef and moving west at 17 mph. It was located far west of Hawaii’s main islands and population centres, and the forecast presented no threat to populated islands.

A tropical storm warning was issued for the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, a remote protected area containing islands, atolls, seamounts, shoals and coral reefs. The warning covered the area from Maro Reef to Lisianski Island. The hurricane centre said large surf linked to Nolo would likely inundate some low-lying atolls.

The warning and forecast applied to the monument rather than Hawaii’s populated islands. Nolo was expected to cross the international date line on Sunday. The storm had passed near Hawaii as a hurricane a week earlier, then weakened into a tropical storm before regaining hurricane strength on Friday.

Another Pacific system, Category 1 Hurricane Rachel, was continuing westward away from Mexico’s west coast. The hurricane centre forecast dangerous swells through the weekend along the coast of west-central Mexico and through Monday for the Baja California Peninsula. The available forecast information described impacts from Rachel along those coastlines but did not indicate that the system posed a threat to populated areas from Nolo’s projected path.