Hurricane Hone drenches Hawaii’s Big Island
Another hurricane is approaching the island. Two named storms have not come near the islands in a week span since the 90s.
After Hurricane Hone lashed the Big Island of Hawaii with torrential rain and strong winds, emergency crews were set to restore power and survey damage as weather forecasters tracked Hurricane Gilma in the eastern Pacific, warning of its potential impacts.
Hone strengthened into a Category 1 storm early Sunday morning, dumping over a foot of rain across much of the island, with some areas receiving 15 to 18 inches. Water piled up over several major roads as waterways swelled, prompting officials to open shelters. Thousands of homes and businesses lost power, although there were no reports of major structural damage.
By late Sunday night, Hone weakened into a tropical storm as it pushed west of the Hawaiian islands. Coastal watches and warnings were discontinued by Monday morning, and officials downgraded a flood warning across the Big Island to a flood watch.
Save for two elementary schools, all public schools across the island were scheduled to open on Monday. The pair of elementary schools remained closed due to hazardous road conditions, as emergency crews shut down Highway 11, making both campuses inaccessible.
Over 12,000 utility customers were without power across Hawaii early Monday, with the vast majority of outages reported throughout the Big Island.
“We are moving into the recovery stage,” said Hawaii Mayor Mitch Roth during a Facebook livestream. He emphasized that emergency crews will inspect damage across the island this week as linemen restore power and authorities begin preparations for Hurricane Gilma. “Gilma is coming, so even though we’re done with this one, it’s good to start preparing for the next one.”
Where is Tropical Storm Hone?
The storm was located 240 miles west-southwest of Honolulu and 205 miles south-southwest of Lihue early Monday morning. Churning west at 13 mph, the storm is forecast to continue moving away from Hawaii and weaken in the coming days, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and tropical force winds extending outward 80 miles from its center.
Hurricane Gilma forecast to swipe the islands of Hawaii
As the impacts of Tropical Storm Hone waned, forecasters and local officials warned about the potential threat of Hurricane Gilma in the eastern Pacific. Gilma, over 1,200 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii, is expected to bring impacts such as showers, thunderstorms, and gusty winds to the state as early as Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. As of early Monday, the storm had sustained winds of 105 mph, making it a Category 2 storm.
Forecasters project that Gilma will pass just north of the Hawaiian islands, with its impacts depending greatly on how close it comes to the state. On its current track, Gilma is expected to lose strength and be downgraded to a tropical depression later in the week.
The combination of both tropical cyclones is likely to bring an extended period of rough seas and surf to the islands, posing dangers to boarders, swimmers, and small craft.
Back-to-back storms passing near Hawaii is extremely rare, experts say
If Hurricane Gilma lashes the islands of Hawaii by Sunday, it will mark the first time in over 30 years that two named storms have passed within 300 miles of the state within a week. The last occurrence was in September 1992, when Hurricane Iniki, the most powerful storm to directly hit Hawaii, was followed three days later by tropical depression Orlene.
Storm systems do not need to barrel directly across Hawaii to wreak havoc. Last year, Hurricane Dora was responsible for the deadliest wildfires the U.S. has seen in over a century. Forecasters worried that Tropical Storm Hone’s winds could replicate Dora’s impacts, especially as swaths of the islands suffer from relentless drought conditions. However, Hone brought enough rain to quell fears and canceled wildfire warnings for portions of the Big Island.
Tropical Storm Hector expected to strengthen in the eastern Pacific
To the east of Hurricane Gilma is Tropical Storm Hector, the latest storm to emerge in the Pacific. The storm is expected to continue tracking west in the general direction of Hawaii over the next few days. While officials are closely monitoring Hector, it is still too early to determine how close it will come to the state.
As of late Sunday, Hector was over 1,000 miles west-southwest of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, moving west at 10 mph with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. As wind shear decreases, the storm is likely to gain strength as it moves toward the central Pacific basin early this week. However, its intensification may be limited by a region of dry air and stronger wind shear.
Contributing: Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY
