A rare trio of tropical cyclones formed in the Pacific Ocean on September 3, 2026. Hurricanes Lowell and Karina are major hurricanes rated Category 4, with Lowell intensifying to Category 5. Tropical Storm Marie is trailing east and expected to strengthen into a hurricane near Baja California’s southern tip imminently [1, 2, 3, 4].

Hurricane Lowell was located about 725 kilometers south of Hilo, Hawaii, and is forecast to remain a major hurricane while moving westward over the next several days [1]. Swells from Lowell are already creating life-threatening surf and rip current dangers on parts of the Hawaiian Islands [1, 3]. Forecasts include some uncertainty, with a chance Lowell could pass near the westernmost Hawaiian islands [2, 4].

These storms are fueled by abnormally warm sea surface temperatures linked to a historically strong El Nino climate event. The current El Nino has about a 69% chance of becoming the strongest on record, according to NOAA [2, 3, 4]. Julia Cole, climate scientist at the University of Michigan, said, "El Nino warming sets the stage for these storms, which are fuelled in large part by warm waters – when the tropical Pacific is warmer than normal we see an increase in strong storms." She added, "A train of three cyclones is definitely rare to see." [1, 2]

El Nino reduces vertical wind shear over the Pacific, creating favorable conditions for hurricanes to strengthen [1, 2, 3, 4]. The sea surface temperature anomaly in this hurricane season is near record high [1, 2, 3]. A similar pattern of multiple tropical cyclones occurred in 2015, another strong El Nino year [2, 3, 4].

In August 2026, Hurricane Lala struck Hawaii’s Big Island, causing destructive winds and flash floods, and the islands are still recovering as Lowell approaches [1, 2, 3, 4]. Atmospheric scientist Benjamin Kirtman of the University of Miami remarked, "There's no other way to put it — it is juicy out there right now." [2]

El Nino is also impacting other parts of the world with extreme weather, including Peru’s fisheries and rainfall changes in Sudan [2, 4].

Tropical Storm Marie strengthened into a hurricane off Baja California on September 2, 2026, while Karina weakened slightly but remained a hurricane on the same date [1].