Tropical storm warning issued for parts of Hawaii as Hurricane Lowell approaches

The National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning Sunday for Kauai and Niihau as Hurricane Lowell continued moving toward the Hawaiian Islands. Two other Pacific systems — Hurricane Marie and now-Tropical Storm Karina — are weakening.

The alignment marked the first triple-hurricane stretch in the Pacific in a decade, since Kilo, Ignacio and Jimena all became major Category 4 hurricanes in 2015. That distinction ended when Karina was downgraded overnight.

This year's El Niño conditions , which are predicted to soon become the strongest on record, have contributed to hurricane formation in the Pacific. El Niño tends to steer more storms across the southern U.S. and suppress Atlantic hurricane activity, and the Atlantic season has been historically quiet all summer.

El Niño affects hurricane severity in both the Atlantic and the Pacific, leading to fewer hurricanes in the Atlantic (particularly the Caribbean) and more in the Pacific due to increased rising air over the tropical Pacific and sinking air over the tropical Atlantic.

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Here's the location, path and status of each of the storms:

Karina weakened overnight from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm, and is expected to dissipate by early next week. Forecasters said it would move north of the Hawaiian Islands without threatening land.

Karina was located about 700 miles east-northeast of Hilo, Hawaii.

It had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph.

"Karina is expected to transition to a post-tropical gale," the NHC said.

Hurricane Lowell is a Category 3 storm and is expected to remain a major hurricane through the weekend. The National Hurricane Center has issued a tropical storm warning for Kauai and Niihau. The storm's forecast track has it moving over portions of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument on Monday night.

Lowell was located about 500 miles south-southwest of Lihue, Hawaii.

It had maximum sustained winds of 125 mph.

Swells generated by Lowell are affecting parts of the Hawaiian Islands and are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip-current conditions.

Hurricane Marie is a Category 1 storm and continues to weaken.

Marie was located about 675 miles west of the southern tip of Baja California.

It had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.

The NHC said Marie was already producing dangerous surf and rip-current conditions along the coasts of Baja California and Southern California, and would continue to do so as swells spread north.