There are now 4 swirling cyclones in the Pacific and the photo looks like a terrifying Van Gogh painting
Over the weekend, three Category 4 hurricanes were spotted surrounding Hawaii.
Now, a fourth storm has joined the historic bunch of tropical cyclones hanging out in the Pacific.
NASA/NOAA GOES Project
Tropical Depression 14E started forming on August 31, and by Wednesday had winds of about 35 miles per hour.
A tropical depression is a low pressure area inside thunderstorms with winds lower than 39 miles per hour. If a tropical depression picks up enough wind speed, it becomes a tropical storm.
Luckily, none of the storms have made landfall, and most appear to be winding down with the exception of this new tropical depression.
Kilo, which started out as a hurricane, moved far enough west over the International Date Line to earn the name Typhoon Kilo. As of Wednesday, it had sustained winds around 100 miles per hour, decreasing to a Category 2 storm.
Here's what Kilo looked like when it passed over the International Date Line as a Category 3 cyclone on Tuesday.
NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team
Ignacio has since been downgraded to a tropical storm. As of Wednesday morning, the storm had sustained winds of 70 miles per hour (just short of the Category 1 threshold), and was moving north, away from Hawaii. Here's a closeup of Ignacio from Tuesday.
NASA/NOAA GOES Project
Jimena is still a Category 2 hurricane, with winds of 115 as of Wednesday morning. The cyclone is headed northwest, but currently doesn't look like it will run into Hawaii.
Hurricane #Jimena lurking in the Pacific. pic.twitter.com/TMOSFn8vGR
- Kjell Lindgren (@astro_kjell) August 30, 2015
The whole thing kind of looks like a scary Vincent van Gogh painting of "Starry Night."
Wikimedia Commons
Fortunately the storms shouldn't cause too much trouble, but if you want to see the worst case scenario scientists have put together, check out these storms that have been ominously called "Gray Swans."
Keep on swirlin', storms!
NOAA GOES West
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