Tropical Storm Erick Upgraded To Hurricane, Tropical Storm Flossie Not Far Behind

Tropical Storm Erick has now been upgraded to a hurricane and is on a path to Hawaii with another storm not far behind.

After forming over the weekend off the coast of Baja California, Erick had begun moving west into the Central Pacific. It had only intensified due to warm water and low wind shear in that area of the Pacific, allowing it to strengthen quickly Monday.

With Erick's upgrade, it is now the third hurricane to form in the Pacific for the 2019 storm season.

As of Tuesday morning, Erick was making its way towards Hawaii with winds well over 100 mph. Current tracking has the heart of the storm passing along the south side of the island chain, possible sparing Hawaii from the heaviest wind and rainfall. Erick will also face stronger wind shear as it approaches Hawaii, which is expected to help weaken the storm further.

However, Hawaii isn’t expected to get passed by cleanly. Rough surf and stronger rip currents will hit the largest island of the chain, making life very difficult for beachgoers and boating. There could also be some severe storms that roll through the area as well.

Tropical Storm Flossie, which has formed in the tail end of Erick, is also moving out into the Central Pacific after forming off the coast of Mexico over the weekend and is picking up strength as well. That said, forecasters also say it is too early to track a path for the storm that is still picking up speed in Erick’s wake.

There is some concern that it could bend farther north and hit the Hawaiian Islands by Monday.

A third storm could be on the way. The National Hurricane Center has reported a disturbance forming off the coast of Mexico on Tuesday morning. The storm is still in the formative stages and it’s unclear as to whether it will form into a tropical depression.