Rare Trio of Pacific Hurricanes Fueled by Historic El Niño
An intensifying El Niño, forecast to potentially become the strongest on record, is driving three major Pacific storms, including two flanking Hawaii.
- Captured by the GOES-18 satellite on Wednesday, three active hurricanes—Lowell, Karina, and Marie—are currently spinning simultaneously across the Pacific Ocean, flanking Hawaii.
- Strong El Niño conditions are fueling this Pacific activity by decreasing vertical wind shear and increasing water temperatures, providing energy for storm intensification.
- Lowell and Karina remain powerful Category 4 systems, while Marie strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday with sustained winds of 80 mph.
- Although none of the systems pose a direct landfall threat to the U.S. mainland, forecasters warned swells could create "life-threatening surf and rip current conditions."
- Simultaneous hurricanes of this magnitude are rare, with the last occurrence in September 2015, as forecasters continue monitoring the trio's track through Labor Day weekend.
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“El Niño’s warming creates the conditions for these storms,” said Julia Cole, a climatologist at the University of Michigan.
Three hurricanes were spinning over the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, one after the other. Lowell even reached Category 5 strength in the central Pacific. It became only the seventh hurricane of this strength in the region and the first since 2018. The El Niño phenomenon is creating favorable conditions for the formation and strengthening of hurricanes this year.
It follows the advance of Lowell, Karina and Marie, the three active hurricanes in the Pacific, and knows their intensity and trajectory according to the NHC.
Three major hurricanes run through the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, a rare simultaneous phenomenon that scientists attribute to the warming of the waters caused by an episode of El Niño of historical intensity.
Hurricane triplets spin across the Pacific Ocean
Hurricane triplets are swirling in the Pacific Ocean. As night fell on September 2, 2026, the GOES-18 satellite captured the storms churning. They are, from left to right, Lowell, Karina and Marie. Read more about this rare trio of hurricanes below. Image via NOAA. Science news, night sky events and beautiful photos, all in one place. Click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter. Hurricane triplets spin across the Pacific Ocean On Septem…
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