NAALEHU, Hawaii — Hurricane Nolo is forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane in the Pacific Ocean over the weekend and unleash intense rain, the possibility of life-threatening flash flooding and dangerous surf for Hawaii’s Big Island.
Nolo was a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph early Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said, as its outer rainbands hit the Big Island. Hurricane conditions are possible on the island, especially in areas with steep terrain, the weather service warned.
This marks the third hurricane in less than two months to whip past Hawaii (following Lala and Lowell). The active Pacific hurricane season is likely due to a record-setting El Niño — a natural climate pattern characterized by a rise in sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific, which can spawn more intense and frequent cyclones there.
Tess Kala, a South Point resident who grew up in the area, said the back-to-back storms are a shock to locals.
“Honestly, this is the first like, whoa, what happened? We had a lot of family and friends that have lived here all their lives through generations and never experienced this before,” she said.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Friday that President Donald Trump approved the state’s request for an emergency declaration to provide federal assistance for emergency protective measures across the state.
Mark Peters, a resident of seven years of Naalehu, on the Big Island’s southern tip, said the damage from the recent hurricanes has not been forgotten.
“It hurts me when I see friends and neighbors and people of this community that I know, and I just see it in their eyes, I hear it in their voices. We’ve been through a lot down here, and we still got a lot to go,” Peters said.
“We’re just getting started with our recovery. But to have yet another big storm hit us, and potentially even bigger than the last one, it’s difficult,” he said.
While he praised his community for its resilience, he said the people are still in need of basics like food and water, and many are in the process of reconstruction.
“We’re talking years. This is going to be a long recovery,” Peters said Friday.
He recalled driving through Waiohinu in the aftermath of Hurricane Lala and his “eyes getting wide open with all the damage, and the cars and houses moved and not where they’re supposed to be, and Waiohinu Park having buildings in the baseball field.”
Kala, the South Point resident, is preparing for Nolo by “moving everything away from the houses, tying things down, making sure that everything is hosed up and taped up as best as we possibly can.”
Nolo will bring periods of heavy rain that will continue across the Big Island and Maui over the weekend, and could trigger life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in steep terrain across eastern and southern portions of both the Big Island and Maui, the hurricane center said.
Nolo is forecast to dump 8 to 12 inches of rain on the eastern and southern parts of the Big Island, with maximum amounts up to 16 inches. Western portions of the Big Island could see 1 to 3 inches of rain, with maximum amounts of 6 inches. Meanwhile, Maui could see 4 to 6 inches, with maximum amounts of 8 inches, the National Hurricane Center said.
The rest of Hawaii will experience smaller rainfall totals, but isolated flooding is possible.
Nolo could also bring large and damaging waves along portions of the Big Island’s coastline into the weekend.
A hurricane watch and tropical storm warning are in effect for Hawaii County, and a tropical storm watch is in effect for Maui County. A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within 24-36 hours. A wind advisory has been issued for the rest of the state.
Tropical storm-force winds will reach the Big Island on Friday afternoon, with hurricane-force winds possible by late evening.
A high surf advisory is in effect for the south- and east-facing shores of the Big Island and the east-facing shores of Maui and Molokai. A high-surf advisory was also issued for the east-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai and Oahu beginning Friday evening.
Nolo could also spawn tornadoes and large waterspouts over and near the Big Island and to the right of the track of the tropical cyclone.
Marlene Lenthang reported from Los Angeles, and Ryan Chandler and Shanshan Dong reported from Naalehu, Hawaii.
