Nolo strengthened into a major hurricane Saturday in the Pacific Ocean, far west of Hawaii’s main islands and population centers.
The storm’s maximum sustained winds quickly intensified to 115 mph, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center reported, meaning it was a Category 3 hurricane.
Nolo was located about 210 miles (335 kilometers) south-southwest of Maro Reef and was moving west at 17 mph (28 km/h).
A tropical storm warning has been issued for the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument – a huge and isolated federally protected area with islands, atolls, seamounts, shoals and coral reefs – from Maro Reef to Lisianski Island.
The hurricane center said large waves associated with Nolo “will likely inundate some of the low-lying atolls.”
However, no threat was anticipated to the populated islands.
The hurricane center said Nolo was expected to cross the International Date Line on Sunday.
Nolo went around Hawaii like a hurricane a week ago. It then lost some of its intensity and transformed into a tropical storm, before regaining hurricane strength on Friday.
Meanwhile, another Pacific hurricane, Category 1 Rachel, continued westward away from the west coast of Mexico.
Dangerous swells were forecast throughout the weekend for the coast of west-central Mexico and into Monday for the Baja California peninsula, according to the hurricane center.
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