September 3, 2026
A remarkable concentration of tropical activity is unfolding across the Pacific Ocean, where three named storms — Hurricanes Lowell, Karina and Marie — are simultaneously churning between Hawaii and the western coast of North America.
The unusual setup has drawn attention from meteorologists because two of the storms recently reached major-hurricane strength, while the third, Marie, has been strengthening. The National Hurricane Center is closely monitoring all three systems, with particular attention on Lowell because of its potential to approach Hawaii.
The scene is unusual enough to recall the fictional spectacle of multiple hurricanes depicted in the movie The Day After Tomorrow. But unlike the Hollywood scenario, these are separate tropical cyclones operating independently over a vast section of the Pacific.
Three Storms Are Now Spinning Across the Pacific
The three hurricanes occupy different parts of the eastern and central Pacific, and their threats are not identical.
Lowell is the most powerful of the three. It briefly reached Category 5 intensity south of Hawaii, with winds reported at about 160 mph, before weakening. The latest Central Pacific Hurricane Center advisory puts Lowell at Category 4 strength, with maximum sustained winds of 125 knots, or about 145 mph.
Lowell was located southwest of Hawaii and moving generally westward. Forecast uncertainty remains important because even a relatively small change in the storm's direction could alter how close it comes to the Hawaiian Islands during the next several days.
The National Hurricane Center has urged people in Hawaii to make sure hurricane plans and emergency supplies are ready, even though the precise level of any eventual threat remains uncertain.
Karina, meanwhile, has also been a powerful hurricane. The latest National Hurricane Center advisory placed the storm near 19.6 degrees north and 135.7 degrees west, moving west-northwest at about 10 knots. Its maximum sustained winds were 105 knots, or approximately 120 mph, making it a Category 3 hurricane at that time.
Karina is expected to gradually weaken as it moves farther across the Pacific.
Marie is the easternmost storm of the trio. It was positioned southwest of Baja California and had maximum sustained winds of about 75 knots, or 85 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm was moving west-northwest and was expected to remain offshore.
Although Marie is not expected to make a direct landfall, its effects may still be felt along portions of the Pacific coast.
Why the Pacific Has Become So Active
The concentration of storms is more than a visual curiosity. It highlights how atmospheric and oceanic conditions can combine to create an environment favorable for rapid tropical development.
Tropical cyclones require warm ocean water, moisture and atmospheric conditions that allow thunderstorms to organize around a rotating circulation. When those ingredients are available over a large area, multiple disturbances can develop at the same time.
Earlier this summer, exceptionally warm Pacific waters were identified as an important contributor to an active period of tropical development. A Washington Post analysis in July noted that record-warm seas, combined with a strong El Niño pattern and a major marine heat wave, were helping fuel multiple tropical systems.
Warm water effectively provides additional energy to developing tropical systems. As storms move over sufficiently warm water, evaporation adds moisture to the atmosphere. When that moist air rises and condenses inside thunderstorms, heat is released, helping maintain the storm's circulation.
That does not mean every tropical disturbance becomes a hurricane. Wind shear, dry air, storm interactions and changes in steering currents can all weaken or redirect a developing system.
Lowell Is the Storm Drawing Most Attention
Of the three systems, Lowell presents the greatest immediate concern because of its strength and proximity to Hawaii.
Lowell's rapid intensification was striking. It went from a tropical storm to an exceptionally powerful hurricane in a relatively short period, eventually reaching Category 5 intensity with winds near 160 mph before weakening.
The latest advisory shows that Lowell remains extremely powerful despite that weakening. Its central pressure was reported at 941 millibars, with sustained winds of 125 knots and gusts reaching 150 knots.
Forecasting Lowell's eventual path is particularly important because tropical cyclones do not travel in perfectly straight lines. Their movement is controlled by larger-scale atmospheric features, including ridges of high pressure and troughs in the upper atmosphere.
A small change in those steering patterns can translate into a substantial difference in the storm's position several days later.
For Hawaii, that means a storm that currently remains offshore can still require close monitoring.
Hawaii Faces Dangerous Ocean Conditions
Even if Lowell stays offshore, its enormous circulation can affect Hawaii's surrounding waters.
Powerful hurricanes generate large waves and long-period swells that can travel hundreds of miles from the storm center. Those swells can reach coastlines before the storm itself and create dangerous surf and rip currents.
That is why coastal hazards can become serious even when a hurricane does not make landfall.
The National Hurricane Center's latest information continues to emphasize monitoring Lowell as it moves westward. Forecast projections also show the storm gradually turning more toward the northwest later in the forecast period, although the exact track remains uncertain.
Residents should therefore avoid interpreting the absence of a landfall forecast as meaning there is no potential hazard.
Marie Could Affect California Without Landfall
Marie presents a different type of risk.
The hurricane is expected to remain well offshore, but the storm's large waves can propagate toward Mexico's Pacific coast, Baja California and eventually Southern California.
The National Hurricane Center says swells generated by Marie are expected to affect portions of southwest Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula and could spread northward toward Southern California over the weekend. These swells can produce dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents.
This is an important distinction in hurricane forecasting: a storm does not have to make landfall to cause dangerous coastal conditions.
Large swells can arrive hundreds of miles from a storm's center. Beaches may therefore become hazardous even while skies remain relatively calm and the hurricane itself stays far offshore.
Karina Is Expected to Gradually Weaken
Karina, located farther west in the eastern Pacific, is also moving away from the coast.
The National Hurricane Center reported peak seas near Karina of about 45 feet, illustrating the tremendous amount of energy contained within the storm system. Forecast guidance calls for a continued west-northwest movement followed by a more northwesterly track, with gradual weakening expected.
Its weakening does not immediately eliminate marine hazards. Large waves and swells can persist as a hurricane changes intensity, and conditions at sea can remain dangerous long after a storm begins losing wind speed.
The Three Storms Are Not Merging
The sight of three hurricanes across the same broad region may create fears of a giant combined storm, but tropical cyclones do not simply merge into a single "mega-hurricane" because they are relatively close to one another.
Each storm has its own circulation, pressure field and surrounding environment.
In fact, interactions between nearby tropical systems can sometimes weaken one storm, alter its structure or influence its direction. Atmospheric steering patterns can also change as these systems move.
The key issue for forecasters is therefore not whether Lowell, Karina and Marie will become one storm, but how their individual movements and surrounding atmospheric conditions will evolve.
A Rare Moment in Pacific Hurricane History
The simultaneous presence of these powerful systems makes the event particularly notable.
According to meteorologist Andrew Markowitz, Wednesday marked the first recorded occasion on which Category 4 and Category 5 hurricanes were simultaneously present in the eastern tropical Pacific.
That does not mean three hurricanes occupying the Pacific at once is impossible or unprecedented in every sense. Tropical systems frequently overlap in time during active seasons.
What makes this episode extraordinary is the combination of timing, proximity and intensity of the storms.
Two systems reaching major-hurricane strength in the same general region represents an especially unusual concentration of atmospheric energy.
What Happens Over the Next Several Days
The next several days will be critical because the storms are expected to follow different paths.
Lowell is expected to remain a major hurricane for at least part of the near-term forecast, although gradual weakening is anticipated. Its track relative to Hawaii will remain a major forecasting concern.
Karina is expected to continue moving away from the immediate coastal region and gradually lose strength.
Marie should remain offshore but could continue generating dangerous swells toward Mexico, Baja California and Southern California.
The National Hurricane Center also warns that additional tropical development could occur later in the eastern Pacific, demonstrating that the current three-storm episode may not represent the end of the basin's active period.
Why Residents Should Watch Official Forecasts
The most important lesson from the Pacific's unusual hurricane cluster is that storm forecasts can change.
A hurricane's projected path several days in advance contains unavoidable uncertainty. As new satellite observations, aircraft measurements and computer-model forecasts become available, meteorologists can refine the storm's expected trajectory and intensity.
For Hawaii, Mexico, Baja California and Southern California, residents should therefore pay attention to official warnings rather than relying on individual forecast maps circulating online.
At present, the three storms represent three different hazards: Lowell's powerful winds and potential proximity to Hawaii, Karina's dangerous ocean conditions while it remains a major hurricane, and Marie's potentially significant swells along the Pacific coast.
The Pacific may look like one enormous storm zone from space, but on the ground, the consequences will depend on the individual behavior of each hurricane.
For now, the unusual trio serves as a dramatic reminder of how quickly the Pacific atmosphere can transform — and why hurricane preparedness remains important even when a storm is still hundreds of miles offshore.