Hurricane Nolo reached Category 3 Saturday in the remote Pacific, with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph), the Miami-based National Hurricane Center reported. The storm sat about 210 miles (335 kilometers) south-southwest of Maro Reef and moved westward at 17 mph (28 kph).
Warning for Remote Atolls
A tropical storm warning covers part of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, a federally protected area with islands, atolls, seamounts, shoals and coral reefs. The warning runs from Maro Reef to Lisianski Island. The hurricane center said large surf from Nolo “will likely inundate some of the low-lying atolls.” Forecasters expected no populated islands to face a threat.
Nolo was expected to cross the international date line Sunday. The forecast warns that surf could affect low-lying atolls, but not populated islands.
Nolo’s Recent Track
Nolo passed near Hawaii as a hurricane a week earlier, then weakened into a tropical storm. It regained hurricane strength Friday and climbed to Category 3 on Saturday. The report offers no further forecast details about Nolo beyond its westward movement and expected date-line crossing.
Other Pacific Swells
Category 1 Hurricane Rachel kept moving west on a path away from Mexico’s west coast. The hurricane center forecast dangerous swells along west-central Mexico through the weekend and around the Baja California Peninsula through Monday.
This is a remote storm. A warning covers a federally protected marine area, and forecasters expect surf impacts on low-lying atolls. The report says populated islands face no threat and describes no change in national authority, population or cultural policy. It offers no evidence for claims about demographic change, sovereignty transfer, institutional beneficiaries or public resistance.