Hawaii is bracing for wind gusts of more than 85 mph after Tropical Storm Horn strengthened into a hurricane.
The National Weather Service (NWS) Hawaii office issued an upgraded warning on Sunday, citing the continued risk of high winds and flash flooding.
“Hurricane Horn will pass south of the Big Island through early Sunday morning,” forecasters posted online. “Horn’s primary threat to the state remains heavy rainfall resulting in flooding, damaging winds and the potential for high surf along the eastern coast.”
Gov. Josh Green declared a state of emergency on Saturday that is expected to remain in effect until Monday, allowing the governor to activate the National Guard and the state disaster fund, while suspending some state laws that could impede a quick response.
Wind speeds are expected to be between 50 and 75 mph, with gusts up to 86 mph.
However, despite these strong winds, the hurricane is expected to gradually weaken starting Sunday afternoon, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Tropical storm conditions are expected to continue across the Big Island through Monday morning, with winds strongest in the highlands, headlands and passes, the center said.
Hurricane Horn is expected to bring rainfall totals of 6 to 12 inches to parts of the Big Island, with locally higher amounts possible. Some of the smaller islands could see rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches.
“As the rain pushes up into the mountains, it’s really wringing out the water like a wet towel,” John Jelsema, a senior forecaster at the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu, said Sunday. “That area is really soaked, roads are flooded.”
“High water levels have blocked roads on the windward side of the Big Island, and that’s really the only area in the state where there are flood concerns at this time.”
Dangerously high surf caused several beach parks on the Big Island to be closed and officials opened evacuation centers as a precaution, Big Island Mayor Mitch Ross said.
The tropical storm continues to affect Hawaii County, with swells likely causing life-threatening rough seas and low tides across the islands on Saturday, according to the NHC.
The National Weather Service said in a coastal hazard warning that “rapid” waves between 14 and 18 feet high were expected along the Big Island’s east coast on Saturday, with dangerously “large and turbulent” surf possible continuing through Sunday.
The weather service added that wave heights could also increase rapidly along Maui’s east coast, with warnings issued to “stay away from shorelines along affected coastlines.”
The dangerous conditions are reminiscent of the deadly wildfire that broke out on Maui exactly one year ago on August 8, 2023. The wildfire was fueled by hurricane-force winds.
“They need to take this seriously,” said Waianae Coast District Board member Calvin Endo, who lives in Makaha on Oahu’s wildfire-prone leeward side.
The fire that ravaged the historic town of Lahaina has killed 102 people and become the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century. Dry, overgrown grass and drought conditions helped the blaze spread.
