Publication Date August 31, 2015 | Washington Post

In new record, three Category 4 hurricanes spin simultaneously in northeast Pacific

North East Pacific Ocean
Hurricanes Kilo, Ignacio and Jimena churn in the northeast Pacific Ocean. Image: NASA
Hurricanes Kilo, Ignacio and Jimena churn in the northeast Pacific Ocean. Image: NASA

For the first time on record, three Category 4 hurricanes were present at the same time in the entire northeast Pacific Ocean.

The Pacific Ocean has surpassed the +2 degree Celsius surface temperature threshold in one of the key regions in the Pacific Ocean — something this region hasn’t done since the most powerful El Niño on record in 1997 — and warm water fuels hurricanes and typhoons