Hawaii's Big Island Braces for a Second Tropical Threat

Hawaii cannot catch a break when it comes to inclement weather. The normally temperate climate is going to be turned on its head for the second time in one week when another tropical weather feature takes aim at the island chain. Here is when and where you should expect these impacts.

Tropical Depression Storm Forms Near Hawaii

It has been less than one week since Category 1 Hurricane Lala brushed past the Big Island of Hawaii, bringing heavy rain, rough seas, and high winds. A new round of flooding rain and potential power outages are likely this weekend as a tropical depression currently spinning in the Pacific is forecast to become a hurricane as it moves to the west toward Hawaii.

What is predicted to become Tropical Storm Moke could bring another wave of hazardous effects to the Big Island and the rest of Hawaii in the coming days. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) gave the feature the designation of a tropical depression early Thursday; however, it is likely that it will strengthen into a hurricane.

The good news for Hawaii is that Moke is forecast to pass about 75 to 100 miles south of the Big Island. This compares to Lala, a storm that got within 30 minutes of this same general area last weekend.

Despite not making a direct landfall, the moisture associated with Moke is forecast to be enough to drop several inches to a foot or more of rain on the Big Island. The precise track of the storm will determine how much additional moisture this part of the chain picks up through the weekend.

Multiple feet of rain fell during Lala, leaving the ground across the Big Island overly saturated and more vulnerable to flooding. In addition, the erosion and mudslides created by Lala have also made trees and power lines more susceptible to falling if high winds whip around the islands.

Larger Field of Impact Forecast with New Tropical Weather Threat

The latest threat is also larger as defined by cloud cover and the range of the rain showers and thunderstorms. This means that even if the storm takes a more southerly track, its outer rain bands may stretch much farther north and into Hawaii.

While there is still time for the forecast track to change, the most concerning rainfall totals are predicted for the southern tip of the Big Island. There is also still a chance that a high-pressure system anchored northeast of Hawaii will pump more dry air into the developing tropical weather maker. This dry air, combined with increasing amounts of wind shear, could keep the storm in check as it nears Hawaii.

Meanwhile, Lala is still churning as a Category 2 hurricane in the open waters of the Northern Pacific. The most updated track shows Lala making an approach near the Aleutian Islands of Alaska later next week as a tropical wind and rainstorm.

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