Hurricane Nolo is now Typhoon Nolo. The long-lived storm crossed the International Date Line late Sunday morning Hawaii time, Oct. 4, ending the U.S. National Hurricane Center's advisories and handing official forecasting to the Japan Meteorological Agency, with the U.S. military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center covering American interests.

Nothing about the storm itself changed at the 180-degree line — only its label and forecasters did. What changed is who forecasts it, how its winds are measured and which communities need to watch it next.

The practical news for Americans is reassuring for now. The National Weather Service office in Guam said Monday that Nolo poses no threat to Guam or Wake Island, and Hawaii's main islands are no longer in its path.

Developing Story Note: This report covers new developments involving Typhoon Nolo's crossing into the western North Pacific. Information may change as forecasters, emergency officials, researchers, courts, or agencies release additional findings. Latest verified update: National Weather Service Guam, 1 p.m. Chamorro Standard Time (ChST) Monday, Oct. 5, 2026 (5 p.m. HST Sunday, Oct. 4). Data are current through that update.

The Handoff at 180 Degrees

The final advisory on Nolo from the Central Pacific basin was issued at 11 a.m. Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (HST) on Sunday, Oct. 4. That advisory placed the center at 24.2 degrees north and 180.0 degrees east, about 395 miles west-southwest of Lisianski Island, with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 km/h), a Category 3 storm. Nolo was moving west at 17 mph, and forecasters wrote that future advisories would come from the Regional Specialized Meteorological Center in Tokyo.

Typhoons and hurricanes are the same type of storm. As The Weather Channel explains, the label depends only on geography. A cyclone with winds of at least 74 mph is a hurricane in the Atlantic and the central and eastern Pacific, and a typhoon in the western North Pacific. Under World Meteorological Organization rules, the storm keeps its name.

By Monday morning Japan Standard Time (JST), the Japan Meteorological Agency reported maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (162 km/h) and westward movement at 19 mph, according to the Associated Press. At 1 p.m. ChST Monday, the National Weather Service in Guam listed Nolo at 120 mph, about 2,335 miles east-northeast of Guam and moving west-northwest at 18 mph, as The Guam Daily Post reported.

Those numbers are not contradictory. Japan's agency averages winds over 10 minutes, while U.S. agencies use one-minute averages, which typically produce higher figures for the same storm.

From Big Island Floods to the Open Western Pacific

Nature World News previously reported on Nolo's flooding rains on the Big Island, where the storm dropped more than 14 inches on higher terrain, flooded a section of the Kaʻū highway and prompted water limits without making landfall.

Since then, Nolo weakened to a tropical storm, regained hurricane strength on Friday, Oct. 2, and crossed the date line as a major hurricane. The risk question has shifted from Hawaii's slopes to the open western Pacific and any islands or shipping lanes ahead of it.

Crossings like this are uncommon. The Weather Network noted it had been three years since a hurricane last became a typhoon, when Dora crossed in August 2023. Ioke in 2006 and Genevieve in 2014 made the same switch.

Nolo is also among the most persistent storms of the season. It began as Tropical Depression Fifteen-E on Sept. 13 off southwestern Mexico, dissipated, then redeveloped on Sept. 22 south of Hawaii, according to Hawaii News Now.

Islands, Shipping Lanes and the Track Toward Japan

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center expects Nolo to weaken to a tropical storm by midweek, then possibly strengthen again into a typhoon by Friday, Oct. 9, as it moves toward Japan, Hawaii News Now reported. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center had earlier attributed the expected weakening to increasing wind shear and dry air — conditions linked to the larger weather pattern around recurving Typhoon Choi-wan.

That outlook carries real uncertainty, since forecasts beyond three to five days often shift. No forecast reviewed for this report shows a direct landfall, though the Korea Meteorological Administration has flagged possible high waves and swells for Japan's Kanto region around Oct. 10 to 12, the Seoul Economic Daily reported. No single model run should be read as the forecast.

For U.S. territories, the message is calm. Landon Aydlett, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Tiyan, told The Guam Daily Post that Nolo poses no threat to Guam or Wake Island. He addressed social media posts showing overlapping forecast cones for Choi-wan and Nolo, explaining that Choi-wan will move north and clear the area first. His advice to residents was "No stress, no panic, no anxiety," paired with staying prepared.

A new system, Koguma, formed Monday east of the Marianas, and the Guam office will watch whether it and Nolo influence each other's motion.

John Cangialosi, a senior hurricane specialist with the National Hurricane Center, told the AP that "even though it is still going to be strong, it's not near any land."

Hawaii's Recovery Continues

In Hawaii, the storm's legacy is cleanup, not new danger. Nolo followed Hurricane Lala, which killed two people on Hawaii Island in August, and Hurricane Lowell, which damaged Kauai's south shore. The state's Department of Human Services has announced replacement SNAP benefits for households affected by Nolo and a wildfire. Residents who lost food during outages should check eligibility directly with the department.

The central Pacific season runs through Nov. 30. Forecasters had predicted 5 to 13 tropical cyclones in the basin this year, and seven have formed so far, Hawaii News Now reported.

What remains unknown is how strong Nolo will be later this week and how far north it turns. Travelers with flights or cargo routed across the western Pacific should watch airline and port notices. Mariners should follow Japan Meteorological Agency and Joint Typhoon Warning Center products, and residents of Japan should rely on JMA warnings and local municipal evacuation information.

Nolo is now a western Pacific storm under new forecasters, with no threat currently identified for U.S. islands. The next key signal is the midweek weakening and whether the storm rebuilds as it nears waters south of Japan.

Developing Story Timeline

1 p.m. ChST, Monday, Oct. 5: National Weather Service Guam lists Typhoon Nolo at 120 mph, about 2,335 miles east-northeast of Guam, and says it poses no threat to Guam or Wake Island.

Monday morning JST, Oct. 5: Japan Meteorological Agency reports Typhoon Nolo at 100 mph, moving west at 19 mph.

11 a.m. HST, Sunday, Oct. 4: Final Central Pacific advisory places Nolo on the date line as a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds and transfers responsibility to Tokyo.

Friday, Oct. 2: Nolo regains hurricane strength west of Hawaii after weakening to a tropical storm.

Sept. 29: Nature World News reports Nolo's heavy rain and flooding on the Big Island.

What Readers Want to Know

Why did Hurricane Nolo become Typhoon Nolo? It crossed the International Date Line at 180 degrees longitude into the western North Pacific, where strong tropical cyclones are called typhoons. The storm and its name stayed the same.

Who is forecasting Nolo now? The Japan Meteorological Agency is the official regional forecaster, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center issues advisories for U.S. interests. The National Hurricane Center's final advisory came at 11 a.m. HST Sunday, Oct. 4.

Why do wind speeds for Nolo differ between sources? Japan's agency uses 10-minute average winds, while U.S. agencies use one-minute averages, so U.S. figures are usually higher for the same storm.

Is Nolo a threat to Hawaii, Guam or Wake Island? Not at this time. The National Weather Service in Guam said Monday that Nolo poses no threat to Guam or Wake Island, and the storm is moving away from Hawaii.

Could Nolo affect Japan? Forecasters expect it to weaken midweek and possibly restrengthen by Friday as it heads toward waters south of Japan. The track and intensity remain uncertain, so residents should follow Japan Meteorological Agency updates.

How rare is a hurricane becoming a typhoon? It happens only every few years. The last case was Hurricane Dora in August 2023, and earlier examples include Ioke in 2006 and Genevieve in 2014.