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Genevieve hits Cat 5
Hurricane Genevieve quickly strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane Monday morning in the East Pacific, becoming the strongest storm in the East Pacific since Hurricane Kristy in 2024.
“Waterloo Lambeth Around the Globe As Hurricane Fausto passes north of Hawaii with fringe impacts, Hurricane Genevieve is stealing the show in the Pacific reaching Category 5 intensity on Monday”
The Weather Network said Genevieve was packing maximum sustained winds of 260 km/h and a core pressure of 925 millibars, while tracking parallel to the Baja Peninsula rather than making landfall.
Genevieve was expected to stay well offshore, but The Weather Network forecast dangerous rip currents along the Baja peninsula, particularly early this week, as the storm's enormous seas approached neighbouring waters.
The Weather Network also said Genevieve was the fourth Category 5 storm reported in 2026, after Tropical Cyclone Horacio, Super Typhoon Sinlaku and Super Typhoon Bavi.
In a separate update, KHON2 reported that Hurricane Fausto was listed as a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 80 miles per hour and that the National Weather Service said Fausto sat about 580 miles east of Hilo and was moving west-northwest at 14 miles an hour.
Fausto and preparedness
KHON2 said Fausto’s track was due north of the Hawaiian Islands into Tuesday, July 28, where it was expected to weaken and downgrade into a tropical storm.
The Weather Network said Genevieve would nevertheless have an impact on coastal areas through dangerous rip currents along the Baja peninsula, while KHON2 said a High Surf Advisory remained in effect for all east-facing shores with some surf expected to be as high as 15 feet as early as Monday afternoon.
AccuWeather’s Alex DaSilva said, "While eastern Pacific Major HurricaneGenevieveposes no direct threat to land," and described Genevieve as "the first Category 5 hurricane sinceKristy in 2024."
AccuWeather also quoted DaSilva saying, "Just enough of a northward drift has occurred to take the slowly unwinding tropical cyclone and most of its impacts north of the Hawaiian Islands this week."
Yale Climate Connections reported that Genevieve became the first Category 5 storm of 2026 in the Eastern Pacific at 5 a.m. EDT Monday, July 27, with top sustained winds touching 160 mph and a central pressure of 925 mb.
What comes next
Yale Climate Connections said Genevieve was centered roughly 520 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California as of 11 a.m. EDT Monday and that steady steering currents were predicted to keep it well clear of any land areas over the next five days.
“Hurricane in the Pacific July 26, 2026 | 06:50 Cadena 3 newsroom MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Genevieve has strengthened and is now considered a hurricane in the Pacific Ocean, southwest of Mexico”
It also warned that Genevieve’s top sustained winds had dropped slightly to 155 mph by 11 a.m. EDT Monday, putting the hurricane back in the Cat 4 range, and it said sea surface temperatures beneath Genevieve’s path were predicted to drop below 25°C by Thursday.
Yale Climate Connections added that NOAA/NWS National Hurricane Center predicted Genevieve would steadily weaken, likely falling below hurricane strength by around Friday, as midlevel relative humidity dropped to around 50% by late week.
For Hawaii, KHON2 said isolated flooding impacts can happen from Tuesday through Wednesday night for all islands, and it said hazardous marine conditions and rough seas were expected to continue as Fausto passed to the north of the state.
AccuWeather said massive swells generated by Genevieve would extend outward from the center and reach the west coast of Mexico and California, while it described Fausto as forecast to pass north of Hawaii by midweek.
