Three Tropical Cyclones Swirl in Pacific: Track Storm Paths

Three tropical cyclones swirled over the Pacific Ocean on Monday: Tropical Storm Hone, Hurricane Gilma, and Tropical Storm Hector.

Tropical Storm Hone hit Hawaii over the weekend, unleashing heavy rainfall and triggering flash floods.

The storms are set to continue westward and the tail end of Gilma will sweep by Hawaii at the end of the week.

By midday Monday, Hone was located approximately 280 miles west-southwest of Honolulu, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and moving west at 13 mph.

The storm caused significant disruption on the Big Island, with road closures and power outages.

Big Island Mayor Mitch Roth said: “No major damage that we know of yet. No injuries that we know of at this point.”

One family was forced to evacuate due to flooding, and four schools closed.

For residents the storm was challenging but also a relief after a prolonged drought.

Julia Neal, who owns a bed-and-breakfast in Pahala, told The Associated Press: “Hone was also a gift in a way because we have been experiencing a lot of drought.”

She and some guests were “experiencing tropical storm winds and heavy pounding rain through the night.”

Similarly, Phil Becker of Aikane Plantation Coffee Co. reported substantial flood damage but expressed a silver lining: the rain could benefit his coffee crops.

“The gulches are running full speed ahead and they’re overflowing the bridges, so we’re trapped down here. We can’t get in or out,” Becker said.

“We’ve been in a drought situation so the coffee is probably loving all this rain.”

Further complications included road damage at Mauna Kea, where the access road was closed due to storm-induced cracks.

In the eastern Pacific, Hurricane Gilma intensified into a Category 2 hurricane, boasting maximum sustained winds of 110 mph.

Located about 1,160 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii, Gilma was moving west at 8 mph.

The National Hurricane Center predicts that while Gilma’s forward speed will increase, its intensity is expected to decrease as it progresses.

To the east, Tropical Storm Hector also gained strength, with winds reaching 50 mph.

Centered about 1,125 miles west-southwest of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, Hector was moving west-northwest at 10 mph.

Despite its growing strength, Hector remains a less immediate concern compared to the impacts of Hone and Gilma.

Mayor Roth urged residents to remain vigilant, noting that the saturated ground could exacerbate future rainfall impacts.

“It’s never too early to start protecting your house,” he said.