Tropical Storm Moke was moving toward Hawaii on Saturday, threatening to bring another round of heavy rain, strong winds and dangerous surf to the Big Island just days after Hurricane Lala caused widespread flooding, landslides and infrastructure damage across the state.
The National Hurricane Center said Moke was expected to remain south of the Hawaiian Islands as it moved westward through early next week, but forecasters warned that the storm could pass close enough to the Big Island to produce significant rainfall, particularly along its windward and southeastern areas.
The storm was located hundreds of miles southeast of Hilo on Saturday and was moving west-northwest over the Pacific, with maximum sustained winds near 50 mph, while forecasters said its closest approach to the Big Island was expected Sunday before the system continued toward the smaller islands.
Rainfall posed the greatest concern, with forecasters expecting between 5 and 10 inches across parts of the Big Island and warning that isolated locations could receive as much as 15 inches, while Maui could see roughly 1 to 4 inches and most of the remaining islands could receive between 1 and 2 inches.
The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for the Big Island from late Saturday night through Monday afternoon, warning that intense rainfall could cause streams to overflow, close roads and trigger dangerous flooding in areas where the ground remains saturated from the previous storm.
Forecasters also warned of mudslides, particularly in steep terrain and locations that received substantial rainfall from Lala, while strong winds could produce gusts of up to 55 mph across parts of the island chain and create additional problems for communities still dealing with damaged roads, power lines and other infrastructure.
A wind advisory was scheduled to remain in effect across portions of Maui, Molokai, Lanai and the Big Island, while large surf and powerful rip currents were expected to create hazardous coastal conditions through the weekend and into the beginning of next week.
The renewed threat comes as Hawaii continues recovering from Hurricane Lala, which passed near the Big Island last weekend and produced torrential rainfall, damaging winds, flooding, landslides and widespread infrastructure problems, including downed trees, damaged roads and bridges and homes affected by the storm.
Lala did not make a direct landfall on the Hawaiian Islands, but its outer circulation moved across the Big Island and produced extreme weather conditions, with wind speeds exceeding 100 mph at the highest mountain elevations and more than 30 inches of rain recorded in some of the wettest locations.
The northeast coast of the Big Island recorded 43.54 inches of rainfall from Lala, according to the National Weather Service, while thousands of electricity customers remained without power Saturday as residents, emergency personnel and community organizations continued working through the storm's aftermath.
Hawaii officials urged residents to prepare for another period of severe weather by securing essential supplies, including food and medicine, as communities that had already experienced major flooding prepared for the possibility of additional roads becoming impassable and more vulnerable areas being affected.
Residents described continued concern about the prospect of another major rainfall event, particularly in communities where floodwaters recently turned streets into rivers and where recovery efforts remain incomplete, while local organizations continued distributing supplies to residents and workers who were struggling to access basic necessities.
Meteorologists said Moke was expected to be weaker, smaller and farther south than Lala, which should limit its overall impact, but the storm still contains substantial moisture that could produce dangerous rainfall when it interacts with the terrain and existing saturated conditions across the Big Island.
The unusual succession of storms has also drawn attention to the role of El Niño, which has contributed to warmer ocean temperatures east and southeast of Hawaii and can create an environment that makes tropical systems more likely to approach the islands than they typically would during other Pacific weather patterns.
In a typical year, storms moving toward Hawaii encounter progressively cooler ocean water and stronger upper-level winds that can weaken tropical systems before they reach the islands, but the current El Niño pattern has altered some of those conditions and increased the likelihood of tropical systems developing and tracking near Hawaii.
Meteorologists emphasized that storms passing within roughly 300 nautical miles of Hawaii are normally uncommon, with the typical annual average around one system, meaning the arrival of Moke so soon after Lala represents an unusually active period for the islands even though the current storm is expected to remain weaker than its predecessor.
Officials cautioned that the situation could change as Moke approaches, and residents were encouraged to continue monitoring official forecasts and warnings because even without a direct landfall, a tropical storm carrying abundant moisture can produce dangerous flooding, mudslides, strong winds and hazardous ocean conditions.
For communities on the Big Island that are still dealing with power outages, damaged infrastructure and difficult recovery conditions following Lala, the arrival of another storm means that even a weaker system could create serious challenges if heavy rainfall falls over areas that have not yet had enough time to recover.
