• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Weatherboy

Weatherboy Weather News, Maps, RADAR, Satellite, and Forecasts.

  • Local
  • Earth Science News
  • RADAR
  • Current Warnings
  • Satellite
  • Current Maps
  • Forecast Maps
  • Video

Tropical Storm Bonnie Enters the Pacific, On its Way to Become a Hurricane; Could Bring Moisture to Hawaii

by Weatherboy Team Meteorologist - July 2, 2022

Satellite view shows Hawaii, left, and Tropical Storm Bonnie, right. With time, moisture from Bonnie may reach Hawaii. Image: NOAA
Satellite view shows Hawaii, left, and Tropical Storm Bonnie, right. With time, moisture from Bonnie may reach Hawaii. Image: NOAA




Tropical Storm Bonnie has entered the Pacific after bringing heavy rains and flood, mudslides, and damaging wind gusts to portions of Costa Rica and Nicaragua in Central America. Now that it is moving away from land, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects the system to intensify further and become a hurricane. While the storm system should remain west of the west coast of Mexico, what’s left of Bonnie may visit Hawaii in the coming days, bringing much needed rainfall to a state dealing with a severe drought.

Typically, mountains across Central America don’t allow a tropical cyclone from one hurricane basin to cross into the other. However, similar to Tropical Storm Alex’s roots earlier this season as a disturbance in the Pacific, this second storm of the unusual 2022 season will survive the journey to the Pacific from the Atlantic and remain Bonnie. Since reliable records were kept in 1851, there have only been 18 cross-over tropical cyclones recorded. The last was November 2016’s Otto which traveled from the Atlantic as a Category 3 hurricane to the Pacific as a Tropical Storm.

In 2000, the World Meteorological Organization made a policy change to naming cross-over storms. Before that time, a system would get a new name when it entered the new basin. Otto became the first storm to retain its name and now Bonnie is the second.

Radar data from the Nicaraguan Weather Service in Las Nubes and recent satellite imagery indicate that Bonnie has continued to become better organized throughout the day today. The well-defined center of circulation and prominent banding south and west of the storm’s center have persisted for the last several hours. Based on this improved appearance and structure, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has nudged the intensity of the tropical storm up a bit.

Latest official forecast track for Tropical Storm Bonnie. Image: NHC
Latest official forecast track for Tropical Storm Bonnie. Image: NHC




Right now, Tropical Storm Bonnie  is still moving due west  and the  NHC says the track forecast is largely unchanged from the prior advisory. A deep-layer ridge located north of the storm will be the primary steering influence throughout the forecast period as Bonnie turns west-northwestward and is forecast to remain offshore and roughly parallel to the coast of Central America and Mexico. However, while the NHC forecast keeps the  strongest winds  offshore, they caution that interests in coastal El Salvador, Guatemala, and southwestern Mexico should continue to monitor Bonnie’s track for the next few days, as any northward track adjustments could require tropical storm watches for portions of this coastline.

A prolonged, serious drought continues to impact many parts of the state of Hawaii. Image: weatherboy.com
A prolonged, serious drought continues to impact many parts of the state of Hawaii. Image: weatherboy.com

The NHC says that some continued strengthening is expected in the next day or two as Bonnie is forecast to move over an area of warmer sea surface temperatures  and relatively low vertical wind shear. For that reason, Bonnie is expected to reach hurricane strength in about two days. The NHC also points out that their intensity forecast is near the center of the guidance envelope, with some of the mesoscale hurricane models showing more rapid strengthening than the official forecast. As such, people in the Eastern Pacific should closely monitor this storm in the next few days.

Global computer forecast models suggest the storm will eventually head west towards Hawaii. Because the Pacific is relatively colder between the coast of Mexico and the islands of Hawaii, weakening is likely and the storm system will likely lose all tropical characteristics as it moves west. However, lingering moisture from Bonnie could travel over Hawaii, bringing heavy rain to the island chain state in about 2 weeks. While a sudden surge of moisture could bring flash flooding and mud/rock slides to Hawaii, it could also bring much needed precipitation to a state suffering from a prolonged serious drought.

 

Primary Sidebar

Sponsored Ad

Search

Latest News

  • Severe Weather Threat Returns to Mississippi Valley on Friday
  • Deadline for SBA Aid for Kauai Drought Coming Soon
  • Another Atmospheric River Event Slams into West Coast; More Epic Rain, Snow Expected
  • Anniversary of 1964 Great Alaskan “Good Friday” Earthquake and Tsunami
  • Tornado Watches, Warnings Issued as Severe Weather Impacts Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, & Gerogia
  • After Violent Night, Storms Shift to Ohio and Pennsylvania
  • Preliminary NTSB Report Shows Something other than Turbulence Killed Passenger on New England Flight
  • SEVERE Geomagnetic Storm Alert Issued; Massive Aurora On Display in North America
About | Careers | Contact | Contests
Terms | Privacy | Ad Choices
Weatherboy is a (R) Registered Trademark of isarithm LLC, All Rights Reserved.
All content herein is Copyright by Isarithm LLC 1997-2022