Three Pacific Hurricanes Spinning At Once, A Rare Sight

Three Hurricanes, One Ocean, and Southern Nevada's Growing Sense of Suspicion

If the Pacific Ocean were putting on a weather talent show this week, it would be winning with a three-act performance. Hurricanes Lowell, Karina, and Marie are all spinning across the Pacific at the same time, creating a rare sight that has meteorologists doing a double take.

Meet the Storm Squad

Lowell is the headline grabber, recently reaching major hurricane strength and drawing attention near Hawaii. Karina remains a powerful storm over open water, while Marie recently strengthened into a hurricane off Baja California. Together, they're creating one of the Pacific's more impressive weather spectacles.

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For residents of Southern Nevada, this is where things get interesting. We may be hundreds of miles from the coastline, but longtime locals know Pacific hurricanes have a habit of showing up at our door disguised as "a chance of showers."

Why Southern Nevada Is Watching

Forecasters note that the same strong El Niño helping fuel these storms is creating unusually favorable conditions across the Pacific.

Now, nobody is predicting Las Vegas will suddenly become beachfront property - even though we can fantasize. But history has taught Southern Nevadans to keep one eye on the forecast whenever tropical moisture starts drifting north. The 2015 season brought periods of heavy rain and flash flooding to parts of the Southwest, proving that what happens in the Pacific doesn't always stay in the Pacific.

Predictions: Fact and Fun

Fact: Marie could send extra moisture toward the Southwest, while all three storms will continue generating impressive surf and weather impacts across the Pacific.

Fun: There's now a 73% chance every Southern Nevadan suddenly becomes an amateur meteorologist. Someone is already explaining El Niño to a cashier. Somebody's uncle is confidently predicting "a monsoon for the ages." And at least three people have looked at a cloud over Red Rock and said, "Yep, that's hurricane weather."

Will these storms bring flash flooding to Southern Nevada? Nobody knows yet.

But if the car wash line suddenly gets busy this weekend, consider that the most reliable weather indicator in Las Vegas history.

LOOK: What hurricane season was like the year you were born

Using NOAA data, Stacker summarized the last 100 hurricane seasons in the Atlantic Basin. See which years and storms broke records over the last century.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

Source: Three Powerful Hurricanes Spin Across Pacific Waters Simultaneously For First Time Since 2015

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