Hawaii is bracing for its third round of major impacts from a tropical system this week as the National Hurricane Center (NHC) monitors Tropical Depression Fifteen-E, which is expected to strengthen into a major hurricane by the end of the week. The concerning forecast comes as Hawaii has already faced two other tropical systems that trekked close to the islands this year. Although the storms in question didn't make direct landfall, they still brought significant impacts to the islands.
Major hurricanes Lala and Lowell both caused impacts across Hawaii. Lala brought heavy rain to the Big Island in August, whereas Lowell impacted Kauai earlier this month. There are still power outages in Kauai from that storm, National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Maureen Ballard told Newsweek.
Now, Fifteen-E, which will be named Nolo once it becomes a tropical storm, is expected to reach major hurricane strength by the time it passes south of the Big Island this weekend. The NHC said Fifteen-E will likely become a tropical storm later on Wednesday. As of current forecasts, it will reach hurricane strength by Thursday afternoon and major hurricane strength early Saturday morning before its path cuts west and it passes south of the Big Island.
As of the most recent update on Wednesday, the storm has maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. It is forecast to bring as much as 35 inches of rain across parts of the Big Island. Flooding and mudslides will be a threat.
"This rainfall may produce catastrophic life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain. Rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches with maximum amounts of 20 inches expected across Maui," the NHC update said. "Life-threatening flooding and mudslides possible across Maui, especially in areas of high terrain.
Across the remainder of the Hawaiian Islands, rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches with maximum amounts of 6 inches are expected with isolated flooding possible." The waters surrounding Hawaii are currently under a hurricane warning. The concerning forecast prompted calls for people to prepare and potentially relocate before the worst of the storm arrived. "NOW is the time to prepare.
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