Guillermo racing in Pacific, remains far from Hawaii
The National Hurricane Center now has Oahu, Maui County and Hawaii Island in the “Cone Of Uncertainty”, meaning the forecast tropical storm could come very close to the islands.
Hurricane Guillermo has shaped within the Pacific and could possibly be headed towards Hawaii.
The National Hurricane Center forecast said Hurricane Guillermo has progressed into a Category 2 storm with winds up to 105 miles per hour.
Forecaster Pasch at the National Hurricane Center noted that imagery showed Guillermo’s cloud pattern continued to become better organized (over the previous day), with well-defined convective banding (of thunderstorms) and a fairly symmetric upper-level outflow pattern. A hurricane has maximum sustained winds of 74 miles per hour and higher.
It is moving west-northwest at 12 knots (about 14 mph) with a decrease in forward speed expected Saturday afternoon.
Further strengthening is expected as Guillermo will continue to move across warm ocean waters, as well as interact with a moist environment with little shear. As of the latest report, no coastal watches or warnings are in effect.