Hawaii is eyeing a new tropical threat less than a week after deadly Hurricane Lala battered parts of the island.
Tropical Storm Moke formed Friday afternoon about 1,050 miles southeast of the Big Island’s east coast, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Moke is expected to maintain its strength as a tropical storm and follow a similar path to Lala toward Hawaii.
However, the new storm is likely to be weaker than Lara and will move further south when it makes its closest approach on Sunday, reducing some of the wind threat but lessening the rain.
Lara’s eyewall skimmed the south coast of the Big Island, centered about 30 miles offshore. Latest forecasts place the new storm’s center as a tropical depression 190 miles south of the Big Island.
The exact distance is likely to change in the coming days as the system continues to organize. Weather forecast models are still trying to understand the strength of the system, a key component of its final trajectory.
Stronger storms will move further north and closer to the islands, while weaker storms will remain further offshore. Confidence in the storm’s path and strength should improve quickly.
Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park announced Thursday that it would close at 5 p.m. Friday ahead of the storm. After Lara struck last week, the park still lacks power, internet and phone lines, and many of its employees are still recovering from the storm.
The storm is not expected to get that close to Hawaii Island, but the rainfall could be just as dangerous, falling in the same areas that flooded last weekend. This means it will take much less rainfall to cause “life-threatening flooding and landslides,” the hurricane center warned.
Five to 10 inches of rain is expected on the Big Island, with up to 15 inches possible on the central and eastern slopes. Confidence is lower for Maui and other islands, but totals are generally expected to be 1 to 4 inches lower, with isolated amounts possible up to 5 inches.
Rain is expected to begin on Hawai’i Island by late Saturday night local time or early Sunday morning, and spread to other islands late Sunday night and into Monday.
Hawaii is still recovering after Lala dumped more than 3.5 feet of rain on the Big Island mountains, causing devastating landslides and flash floods.
A 93-year-old woman died last week on Hawaii Island from “storm-related injuries,” according to Hawaii police. Police are also investigating the death of a 60-year-old man, which they believe may have been related to the storm.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said at a news conference Thursday that much of Naalehu on southern Hawaii Island was destroyed by mud, water, rocks and debris, with some homes buried in mud 10 feet deep. Green said more than 100 homes were lost to Lala on Hawaii Island last week.
Crews are still clearing fallen trees and power poles across the Big Island, thousands of residents remain without power, and roads that were washed away by floodwaters are just beginning to be rebuilt.
Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan, the adjutant general of the Hawaii Department of Defense, said at a news conference Thursday that teams are also working to find and secure bodies washed away from flooded graves before the next storm arrives. He said the team recovered the remains of more than 60 bodies on Thursday.
The state plans to deal with further flooding, landslides and power outages by preparing supplies and hotel rooms for people who may be affected by the storm and monitoring water levels at Wahiawa Dam, which rose more than 6 feet after Lala.
Officials are urging residents in vulnerable areas to prepare now, as evacuation may be difficult when the storm hits.
“If you can leave flood-prone areas early and be with friends and family, consider doing that now,” said National Weather Service meteorologist John Brabender. “So we can prepare for that before it starts raining this weekend.”
