Hurricane Genevieve Becomes First Category 5 Storm of Super El Niño Season: How Homeowners Should Prepare

The first Category 5 storm of the 2026 season has arrived in the Pacific, with Hurricane Genevieve picking up speed and strength out at sea. 

The National Hurricane Center reported this morning that the storm had fallen back to a Category 4 storm as of 8 a.m., but that Genevieve had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 kph) and that its center was located about 515 miles (830 kilometers) southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula and was headed northwest at 10 mph (17 kph).

No coastal watches or warnings were in effect, but NOAA insisted that swells from the storm will create “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions” in the Baja California peninsula.

As for Hawaii, the islands are already bracing for an impact from Tropical Storm Fausto. While the storm weakened Monday night, it will take a path north of the Hawaiian islands through Wednesday, creating strong winds and currents for the islands. 

“Expect ocean water surging and sweeping across beaches, coastal benches, and lava flows creating the potential for impacts to coastal properties and infrastructure, including roadways,” warned NOAA. 

“Powerful longshore and rip currents will be present at most beaches. Large breaking waves and strong currents may impact harbor entrances and channels, causing challenging boat handling.”

Where Hurricane Genevieve is headed

"While eastern Pacific Major Hurricane Genevieve poses no direct threat to land, it has become the most powerful hurricane in the waters surrounding North and Central America this year and the first Category 5 hurricane since Kristy in 2024," AccuWeather's Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said in their forecast.

The team predicts the storm will slowly lose wind intensity from mid- to late week and become a tropical storm by the weekend.

While the storm is not predicted to make landfall in Hawaii, the intensity of the storm reflects the warnings meteorologists have had about the El Nino season. 

Some projections show that the peak of the anticipated Super El Niño will surpass the previous record-holder by “a truly mind-blowing margin”, Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at the non-profit research organization Berkeley Earth, wrote in a blog post earlier this month.

“With the July runs now in from 667 ensemble members across 14 different seasonal forecast models, it looks like this year’s El Niño is not only very likely to be the strongest event since reliable records began – it may end up the strongest by a truly mind-blowing margin.”

“For context, the gap between the strongest and the fifth strongest El Niño of the past 150 years is only about [0.9 degrees F] 0.5 degrees C,” Hausfather added. 

“The models are forecasting something outside the envelope of anything we have ever observed.”

How homeowners can prepare for hurricane season

The best defense is preparation, and with the season just beginning, there’s plenty of time for homeowners to safeguard their homes from the upcoming elements. 

“Ideally, you'd get hurricane-ready in the months leading up to the start of hurricane season on June 1. This is when you should gather water, nonperishable foods, and a go-bag of important documents and other necessities, like cash and prescription medications,” says Rachael Gauthier, meteorologist at the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety in Charlotte, NC.

Additionally, now is definitely the time to start thinking about ways to prep your home. Evaluate the security of your roof and gutters, the weather sealing of your windows, and even the sturdiness of your foundation. 

It’s also a good idea to check your homeowners insurance policy for hurricane-related coverage details. While standard policies might include wind damage caused by hurricanes, they often exclude floods. Supplemental hurricane insurance is essential to ensure comprehensive coverage in storm-prone areas.

And for what it’s worth, even if hurricane season passes without incident, being prepared now means you’ll also be prepared in the winter months, which is equally as important during this El Nino season.