Fernanda strengthens to Category 4 storm
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NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE / NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER
The 5-day forecast for Hurricane Fernanda
Hurricane Fernanda in the Eastern Pacific continued strengthening today, reaching major hurricane status.
At 11 a.m. in Hawaii, Fernanda was a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph and was more than 2,400 miles east of Hilo, moving west at 12 mph. Hurricane-force winds extended just 30 miles from the storm’s center. A Category 4 hurricane has maximum sustained winds of 130 to 156 mph.
The forecast calls for Fernanda to continue moving west toward the Central Pacific.
But it should weaken early next week as it takes a northwesterly turn over cooler waters. On Tuesday, Fernanda is expected to be a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph and a few hundred miles west of the Central Pacific.
It is still too far from Hawaii to know whether it will have a direct impact on the state’s weather later in the month.