At 11 p.m. HST Sunday (Aug 28), the center of Hurricane Lester was located about 1,785 miles (2,873 km) east of Hilo, Hawaii. Lester is moving toward the west near 15 mph (24 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days.
Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 115 mph (185 km/h) with higher gusts. Lester is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Little change in strength is expected today, but slow weakening is expected to begin by Tuesday.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles (35 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 105 miles (165 km).
A strong subtropical ridge north of Lester should continue to steer the hurricane nearly due west for the next 3 days. After that time, a probable binary interaction with Madeline should result in a west-northwestward shift in the cyclone’s heading as it approaches the Hawaiian Islands.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 965 mb (28.50 inches).
National Weather Service Presentation on Hurricanes.
HELCO Reminds Customers to Prepare for Hurricane Season
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