Pacific Ocean sees three simultaneous hurricanes driven by El Niño

Three powerful hurricanes—Lowell, Karina, and Marie—are simultaneously active in the Pacific Ocean, a rare occurrence last seen in 2015. The phenomenon is being driven by the El Niño climate pattern, which has resulted in exceptionally high ocean temperatures.

Hurricane Lowell has reached the highest Category 5 status and was located south of Hilo, Hawaii. Hurricane Karina is a Category 4 storm moving northwest, while Marie recently intensified from a tropical storm into a hurricane approximately 600 kilometers off the coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Meteorologists from NOAA and the National Hurricane Center note that the warm waters provide immense energy and moisture to these systems. While the Atlantic currently lacks active tropical cyclones, the peak of its season is expected around September 10. Experts suggest that the current El Niño has a 69 percent chance of being historically intense, potentially leading to more frequent and severe storms globally.