Incredibly busy hurricane season in the Pacific is not over yet

It's been a very active hurricane season, and it's not over yet. This image shows the remains of Hurricane Norman moving north and away from the main Hawaiian Islands, and Hurricane Olivia approaching from the east. (Image: NOAA)

2018 has been a very active hurricane season so far — and it’s only September. On Saturday, Olivia is forecast to be the fifth hurricane to enter the Central Pacific this hurricane season. And there’s even more activity behind it. Climate experts expect to see activity for a couple more months and there are several reasons why. They say because of global warming and higher water temperatures farther north, along with signs of El Niño, hurricanes are now following a new and more menacing route.

“In other words, the major hurricane track, currently, is basically confined to the south of the Hawaiian Islands. But with the global warming, this track may be projected to shift northward,” or closer to Hawaii, said Pao-Shin Chu, professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Hawai‘i state climatologist.

Read more and watch the video report at Hawaii News Now.

For information on Hurricane Olivia, read and watch interviews with Alison Nugent, an assistant professor in Atmospheric Sciences, at KHON2 here and an update here, or read advice on hurricane preparations on Jetty.

For a discussion between KHON2 weather anchor and Nugent related to tropical cyclones around the world, visit here and here.