HONOLULU (Island News) — Hurricane Fausto is holding steady as it moves across the eastern Pacific, remaining thousands of miles east of Hawaiʻi.
As of late Wednesday night, Fausto was located about 980 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California and about 2,035 miles east of Hilo. The hurricane was moving west-northwest at 12 mph with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.
Forecasters say Fausto could see some changes in strength over the next day, but the storm is expected to gradually weaken after that while continuing on a west-northwest to westward track over open water.
Hurricane-force winds extend about 45 miles from the center, while tropical-storm-force winds reach up to 185 miles outward.
There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect because the storm is expected to remain well away from land.
Even so, swells generated by Fausto continue to impact parts of the Baja California Peninsula and are spreading north toward Southern California. Those swells could create dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents along the coast.
For Hawaiʻi, Fausto is not expected to bring any direct impacts. While the hurricane is now about 2,000 miles east of Hilo, it is forecast to stay well away from the islands as it gradually weakens over the coming days. It could potentially bring some surge to east shores early next week.
