Tropical Storm Erick, approaching Hawaii, set to become a hurricane by late Monday
Tropical Storm Erick is expected to strengthen into the eastern Pacific Ocean's latest hurricane as it approaches Hawaii this week.
The weather system organized into a tropical depression more than 1,000 miles southwest of Baja California early Saturday morning before rapidly strengthening into a tropical storm.
"Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph (65 km/h) with higher gusts," the National Hurricane Center said in a weather advisory. "Strengthening is forecast, and Erick is expected to become a hurricane by late Monday with continued strengthening through Tuesday."
Although it's too early to tell if Erick will be a direct threat to Hawaii, rough surf and increased rip currents will impact the Big Island, Accuweather said.
"Erick would still be almost a week out, so there's a lot of uncertainty on the exact track," said Alan Reppert, a senior meteorologist for Accuweather. "Any slight change in that track could really affect any rainfall we see in Hawaii."
Tropical Storm #Erick is forecast to move toward the Hawaiian Islands through the week, crossing into the Central Pacific basin late Monday or early Tuesday. Follow @NWSHonolulu for more info on Erick's possible impacts on the islands later in the week. https://t.co/N7jDnjmLGs pic.twitter.com/ksikXPcWTO
— NHC Eastern Pacific (@NHC_Pacific) July 28, 2019
The amount of rainfall Erick delivers will depend on where the storm moves in proximity to the islands, though it's "almost impossible" to say which islands might be affected, according to Reppert.
"At least for now, it looks like Erick is still likely to be off to the south of the Big Island," Reppert said. "For now, we're looking at that push off to the south. If that is in fact the case, we may seen much less rainfall from this than if it was farther north and moving over the island."
Another tropical depression that has formed behind Erick is also likely to become a hurricane in the next two to three days, according to another advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center.
That system, Tropical Storm Seven-E, was off the southern coast of Mexico on Sunday morning and moving at about 21 miles per hour west-northwest.
"That's even farther east than Erick is right now," Reppert said. "That could be another thing to keep an eye on for Hawaii, and how that moves westward over the next week."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hawaii ahead, Tropical Storm Erick to become hurricane by Monday night
