US: Hurricane Hector strengthens to Category 2, heads toward Hawai'i

Event

Hurricane Hector strengthened to a Category 2 storm, with maximum sustained winds recorded at 175 km/h (110 mph) at 17:00 (local time) Thursday, August 2. Hector is currently in the east Pacific, off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, and is heading west toward Hawai'i, approximately 1,970 miles away. Current models by the United States National Hurricane Center predict the storm to strengthen to a Category 3, and possibly a Category 4, and continue its westward course for three days before turning west-northwestward. The earliest arrival of tropical storm-force winds to eastern Hawai'i is Tuesday, August 7.

Context

Hector formed as a tropical depression on Tuesday, July 31, before strengthening to a hurricane in the morning of Thursday, August 2, two days ahead of initially its predicted schedule. The eastern Pacific hurricane season lasts from May to November. 

Advice

Individuals present or traveling to in Hawai'i are advised to keep abreast of weather alerts and adhere to any advice issued by the local authorities. In the event of flooding, remember that driving and walking through running water can be dangerous - 15 cm (6 in) of running water is enough to knock over an adult - and that floodwater may contain wastewater or chemical products.