HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Major Hurricane Jova weakened slightly to a Category 3 hurricane and is expected to keep weakening gradually over the open ocean in the East Pacific.
The National Hurricane Center said at 5 p.m. Thursday, Jova had maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour with higher gusts.
It was located about 645 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California and was moving to the west-northwest at 17 miles per hour.
Hurricane force winds extend 25 miles from the center, with tropical storm force winds extending 140 miles from the center.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/N7LCPGLMJBFSJJN5F4VPPQCM2U.png "Hurricane Jova weakens slightly as it continues tracking westward in the East Pacific")
The Hurricane Center said Jova is forecast to continue weakening into the weekend as it moves through an area of cooler sea surface temperatures and a drier airmass.
Forecasters said while it is powerful now, it could diminish into a remnant low by Monday before it even reaches the Central Pacific.
The National Weather Service in Honolulu said Jova’s remnants could move into the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands late next week. No significant effects are expected, except maybe for an increase in scattered showers.
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