Tropical storm Moke was moving toward Hawaii on Saturday, bringing cyclone conditions that were expected to hit the Big Island first. At 5:00 a.m. Hawaii time, Moke was about 755 kilometers southeast of Hilo with maximum sustained winds of about 85 km/h.
The storm was forecast to pass south of a direct hit from Saturday night into early Sunday, but the Big Island was still expected to take the worst of the rain and strong winds. Casey Oswant said, “Todavía habrá impactos, especialmente en los lados de barlovento y sureste de la Isla Grande, pero probablemente serán un poco más limitados que lo que vimos con Lala.”
Big Island rain forecast
Forecasts called for 13 to 25 centimeters of rain on the southeast and windward sides of the Big Island over the weekend, with isolated areas reaching 38 centimeters. Other parts of the island chain were expected to get 2 to 5 centimeters, while parts of eastern Maui could receive up to 10 centimeters.
Oswant, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu, said the storm would continue west near the islands until early Tuesday. For residents tracking the weather in the Pacific Ocean, the practical issue is not the storm’s center line but how long rain bands and gusts keep rebuilding over the same communities.
Warnings and power outages
No coastal watches or warnings were in effect early Saturday morning, even as the National Hurricane Center warned that rain could cause dangerous rip currents, life-threatening flooding, and mudslides. About 9,000 customers on the Big Island were still without electricity on Saturday, leaving some neighborhoods to manage a second problem before the new rain arrived.
Governor Josh Green and other state officials held a news conference before Moke's arrival, urging people to restock food, medicine, and other basic items. Residents on the Big Island were still dealing with the aftermath of flooding and winds from Hurricane Lala, which toppled trees, ripped buildings from their foundations, damaged roads and bridges, and left roads covered with mud and rocks; one death related to Lala was reported.
Keaau prepares for more rain
In Keaau on the east side of the Big Island, teacher Tiffany Edwards Hunt said, “Definitivamente hay tensión en el ambiente.” She said that feeling came ahead of more rain after flooding turned waters into rivers in her community, where the next stretch of weather was being watched for what it would add to already damaged roads and power lines.
Casey Oswant's forecast leaves one immediate question for the Big Island: how much additional damage Moke will cause before it moves west past the islands. With Moke expected to keep sliding near Hawai until early Tuesday, the most exposed communities are the windward and southeast sides of the island, where the rain totals could climb fastest.
