Energy

Hurricane Hector Threatens To Clobber Hawaii As The Storm Picks Up Steam

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Chris White Tech Reporter
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Hurricane Hector could pound parts of Hawaii as the storm speeds west at a 12-mile-per-hour clip through the Pacific Ocean.

Chances of Hector hitting Hawaii ticked up slightly as forecast models indicate the Category 3 storms is cutting it close on a southward scoot below the Big Island, according to a tweet Friday from Ryan Maue, a meteorologist at Weather.us.

Hector has sustained maximum winds of near 105 mph, with higher gusts. It is expected to become a major hurricane within the next day or two — Hector could be the first major hurricane this season to make landfall in the U.S.


Hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean have stuttered as a massive North African dust cloud suppresses hurricane activity from Africa to Houston. The air originated in the Sahara Desert and is dominating weather across the Atlantic and beyond.

Warm, moist air is the special ingredient necessary to generate enough energy to transform a tropical storm into a raging hurricane. Dry air acts as a type of kryptonite, denying a storm cell the energy required to power blast across the Atlantic. (RELATED: Hurricane Irma Has Maintained 185 MPH Winds Longer Than Any Other Storm In the Satellite Era)

One hundred million tons of Saharan dust permeates across the Americas ever year, reaching deep into the Amazon and spreading across the southeastern section of Houston, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The dust trail tracts along the route hurricanes usually travel.

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