image: NOAA's GOES-West satellite captured this infrared image of Tropical Depression 1C, TD 2C, and Tropical Depression Ela in the Central Pacific Ocean at 1200 UTC (8 a.m. EDT) on July 10. view more
Credit: Credits: NASA/NOAA GOES Project
NOAA's GOES-West satellite saw that Hawaii is in the middle of a triangle of tropical cyclones. Post-Tropical Depression Ela was located northeast of Hawaii on July 10, and the forecast calls for the storm to move west toward the islands over the weekend of July 11 and 12 and dissipate.
There are three tropical cyclones in the Central Pacific Ocean and Hawaii is in the middle of them. On July 10, newborn Tropical Depression 01C was west of Hawaii, while newborn Tropical Depression 02C was south of the Big Island. Post-Tropical Depression Ela was northeast of the islands and is the only one of the three expected to affect Hawaii.
On July 10, NOAA's Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) noted that swells from Ela will cause high surf along east facing shores of the main Hawaiian Islands over the next several days.
NOAA's GOES-West satellite provided an infrared image of the depression. The depression appeared a rounded area of clouds on satellite imagery, but the stronger thunderstorms were displaced to the northeast of the center as a result of southwesterly wind shear. The University of Wisconsin Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies or CIMISS noted that strong southwesterly wind shear affecting the system is near 33 knots (27.9 mph/61.1 kph). The image was created from NASA/NOAA's GOES Project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
At 5 a.m. HST (11 a.m. EDT/1500 UTC) the center of Post-Tropical Depression Ela was located near latitude 22.0 north and longitude 149.3 west. The post-tropical cyclone was moving toward the west-northwest near 9 mph (15 kph) and this motion is expected to continue with a gradual turn toward the west. Maximum sustained winds were near 35 mph (55 kph) and weakening is forecast the next two days. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1008 millibars.
CPHC noted that "Ela will become an increasingly shallow system with the remnant low or circulation center getting caught up in the trade wind flow over the weekend." Ela is forecast to dissipate early Sunday, July 12.
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