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HURRICANE NEKI ADVISORY NUMBER 19
NWS CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER HONOLULU HI CP032009
1100 PM HST THU OCT 22 2009

THE HURRICANE WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE PAPAHANAUMOKUAKEA NATIONAL MONUMENT FROM NIHOA ISLAND TO FRENCH FRIGATE SHOALS TO MARO REEF.

AT 1100 PM HST…0900 UTC…THE CENTER OF HURRICANE NEKI WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 22.3 NORTH…LONGITUDE 165.9 WEST OR ABOUT 415 MILES WEST OF LIHUE HAWAII AND ABOUT 115 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF FRENCH FRIGATE SHOALS.

NEKI IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST NEAR 9 MPH AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT 48 HOURS. ON THIS TRACK…TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY OCCURRING OVER PORTIONS OF THE WARNING AREA WITH HURRICANE CONDITIONS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT INTO FRIDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 90 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. NEKI IS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. GRADUAL WEAKENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 50 MILES FROM THE CENTER…AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 185 MILES.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 980 MB…28.94 INCHES.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG THE PATH OF NEKI.

LARGE SWELLS FROM THE SOUTH WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD OVERNIGHT IN ADVANCE OF NEKI ACROSS THE ISLANDS OF THE PAPAHANAUMOKUAKEA NATIONAL MONUMENT. SEAS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE WARNING AREA WILL BUILD TO 20 FEET OR GREATER…CREATING SURF OF 20 TO 25 FT.

…SUMMARY OF 1100 PM HST INFORMATION…
LOCATION…22.3N 165.9W
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…90 MPH
PRESENT MOVEMENT…NORTH-NORTHEAST OR 15 DEGREES AT 9 MPH
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…980 MB

AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER AT 200 AM HST FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 500 AM HST.

More info at the Central Pacific Hurricane Center

Central Pacific Infrared Images

Papahanaumokuakea National Monument Facing Hurricane Neki

By Rob Gutro, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA's Terra satellite passed over Neki and the MODIS instrument captured an image that clearly shows an eye, on October 21 at 11:45 a.m. HST local time. Credit: NASA MODIS Rapid Response Team

A hurricane warning is in force for the Papahanaumokuakea National Monument from Nihoa Island to French Frigate Shoals to Maro Reef. Hurricane conditions likely there by 5 a.m. HST on Friday, October 23.

The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is the single largest conservation area under the U.S. flag, and one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world. It encompasses 139,797 square miles of the Pacific Ocean (105,564 square nautical miles) – an area larger than all the country’s national parks combined.

Many of the islands and shallow water environments in the National Monument are important habitats for rare species such as the threatened green sea turtle and the endangered Hawaiian monk seal.

As Hurricane Neki nears, the storm had maximum sustained winds near 115 mph at 5 a.m. HST (11 a.m. EDT) today, October 22. It was located about 245 miles south of French frigate shoals and 525 miles west of Honolulu, Hawaii, near 20.4 North and 166.0 West. Neki was moving north-northeast near 10 mph, and had a minimum central pressure of 965 millibars.

Neki’s hurricane force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the center, and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 205 miles.

NASA’s Terra satellite passed over Neki and captured an image of the large storm using the Moderate Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on October 21 at 2145 UTC (5:45 p.m. EDT/11:45 a.m. HST local time).

NASA Aqua satellite also took a look at Neki, and measured the storm’s thunderstorm cloud-top temperatures using infrared imagery. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument showed some high thunderstorm tops in Neki indicating heavy rainfall and strong convection. Those cloud temperatures were colder than minus 63F.

High seas are a concern with Neki. Neki is creating high seas of 15 to 20 feet that will build up across the smaller islands of the Papahanaumokuakea National Monument. For more information about the Papahanaumokuakea National Monument, visit: http://papahanaumokuakea.gov/.

Little change in Neki’s strength is forecast over the next 24 hours, but Neki is expected weaken as the storm heads into cooler waters and wind shear. Neki is forecast to continue moving northeast and then weaken to a depression by early next week.