New tropical depression forms and moves into central Pacific Ocean

As a tropical storm or tropical depression, this system could bring humid conditions as well as sporadic heavy rains to the state starting Friday through much of the weekend. It is forecast to peak as a tropical storm packing 40 miles per hour winds Thursday evening before moving north of the Big Island Friday morning.

HONOLULU – A tropical depression has formed, entering the Central Pacific and could be coming toward Hawaii.

Foster said if the cyclone follows a west-southwest track model, Kauai would receive more of a wind impact and less impact from rain.

“The last couple of hurricanes that we were expecting to come in, I wasn’t prepared enough, but I see a lot of people who do”, said Honolulu resident Reginald Apilado.

NOAA’s GOES-West satellite captured an infrared image of Tropical Depression 4E at 0900 UTC (5 a.m. EDT) on July 8 after it moved into the Central Pacific. It has a 60 percent chance of becoming a tropical depression within two days. The hurricane center said late Tuesday that the tropical depression should strengthen and will become a tropical storm on Wednesday.

Once a powerful Category 4 hurricane, Iselle was the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall on the Big Island on record.

Hurricanes in the Central Pacific are uncommon with three or four named, but relatively weak systems per year over the entire basin.

Other systems such as Wali, Genevieve and Julio either passed well away from the islands or had minimal effect on Hawaii during 2014. Among them are El Nino, which correlates with warmer ocean temperatures and reduced vertical shear that cause increased storm activity, and La Nina, which features cooler waters and historically has produced below normal activity seasons. We’re a little more than a month into the 2015 Central Pacific Hurricane Season and it’s always a good reminder to be prepared. Warmer waters fuel convection and storms.

The Central North Pacific and Eastern Pacific hurricane seasons continue through November 30.

Tropical Depression Four-E developed bands of heavier storms closer to its center of circulation late Tuesday, prompting the National Hurricane Center to begin issuing advisories.