Bonnie slowly weakening after becoming first major hurricane of 2022 in Eastern Pacific
No additional impacts to land are expected as Hurricane Bonnie will remain far away from both Mexico and Hawaii
Hurricane Bonnie expected to become post-tropical this weekend
No additional impacts to land are expected as Hurricane Bonnie will remain far away from both Mexico and Hawaii.
Bonnie has weakened to a Category 1 storm after peaking in intensity as a Category 3 hurricane off the Pacific coast of Mexico on Tuesday.
The previous Category 3 rating of Bonnie means it was the first major hurricane of the 2022 Eastern Pacific hurricane season. A major hurricane is defined as one that's rated Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. On average, the Eastern Pacific's first major hurricane forms around July 15.
As of Friday morning, Hurricane Bonnie had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and was moving westward at about 20 mph. The hurricane is expected to continue to move farther out into the open waters of the Eastern Pacific into this weekend.
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Over the Fourth of July weekend, Bonnie completed a rare crossing of Central America from the Atlantic into the Pacific while maintaining its original name.
No additional impacts to land are expected as Hurricane Bonnie will remain far away from both Mexico and Hawaii.
Bonnie is expected to weaken to a tropical storm later Friday and become a post-tropical cyclone on Saturday.
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Hurricane Bonnie makes history
Not only is Bonnie one of the rare "crossovers" to be born in the Atlantic but survive into the Pacific Ocean, but it's the first crossover since the naming convention changed in 2000 to strengthen into a major hurricane while keeping its original name, according to FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross.
But only two other crossover storms have managed the feat, even with a name change. Hurricane Irene went from a Category 1 storm in the Atlantic to eventually becoming Category 3 Hurricane Olivia in the Pacific in 1971.
Hurricane Cesar went from a Category 1 storm in the Atlantic to an eventual Category 4 storm as Hurricane Douglas in 1966.
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