Hurricane Iona strengthened into a Category 3 storm hundreds of miles southeast of Honolulu late Monday night local time, as Tropical Storm Keli follows on Iona’s heels several hundred miles to its east in the Central Pacific Ocean.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Iona’s maximum sustained winds reached 115 mph, above the 111-mph threshold for a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
Hurricane Iona is currently located roughly 790 miles southeast of Honolulu. It is moving west at 13 mph and does not pose any threat to land.
According to the NHC, it is expected to continue strengthening Tuesday before beginning to weaken Wednesday.
Iona is the first hurricane in the Central Pacific Basin this season and the first July hurricane in the basin since Darby in 2022.
The NHC said Hurricane Iona is expected to stay well south of the Hawaiian Islands.
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Author: Dillon B
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