Hurricane Nolo Strengthens to Category 2, Track Shifts South of Big Island

Hurricane Nolo strengthened to a Category 2 storm Friday morning as it continues toward Hawaii, though its forecast track has shifted farther south of the Big Island than earlier feared, even as forecasters still expect it to become a major hurricane by the weekend.

Nolo Now a Hurricane, Track Trends Farther From the Islands

The Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) said Nolo's maximum sustained winds reached 105 mph Friday morning, up from 85 mph in the previous advisory, based on data from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft. The storm was centered about 185 miles south of South Point and 380 miles south-southeast of Honolulu, crawling north-northeast at just 5 mph.

Forecasters now expect the storm's center to remain well south of the main Hawaiian Islands as it turns west-northwest and west through the weekend, a meaningful shift from earlier forecasts that had Nolo passing closer to the Big Island. Nolo is still forecast to strengthen into a major Category 3 hurricane by Friday night around its closest approach, with some forecasts showing winds potentially reaching 140 mph, Category 4 strength, over the following days as it moves further from the islands.