Tropical Storm Hone Forecast to Bring Strong Winds and Heavy Rain to Hawaii this weekend

HONOLULU: Tropical Storm Hone was expected to deliver strong winds and heavy rain to Hawaii this weekend, particularly to Big Island and Maui, as it passes south of island chain. Forecasters believe it will strengn to a Category 1 hurricane for part of time it skirts past state.

A tropical storm watch was in effect Friday for Hawaii County, which includes all of Big Island, according to Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu.

August storm has evoked memories of powerful hurricane south of Hawaii that helped fuel a dely wildfire that destroyed Maui's Lahaina town during a drought last summer, but National Wear Service said Hone was not creating same conditions.

Hone, which means “sweet and soft” in Hawaiian and is pronounced hoe-NEH, was expected to bring sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph (32 to 48 kph) and gusts of 50 mph (80 mph) to Maui and Big Island. Oahu and Kauai were forecast to get slightly weaker winds.

Big Island's east coast and souastern corner were due to get 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) of rain Saturday night through Sunday night, while Maui could get 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters).

Those predictions could change depending on storm's course. As of Friday afternoon, storm was about 470 miles (755 kilometers) east-souast of Hilo and 680 miles (1,095 kilometers) east-souast of Honolulu. It was moving west at 16 mph (26 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph).

Conditions have been dry throughout Hawaii. U.S. Drought Monitor says much of state is in moderate drought, while parts of Maui and Big Island are in extreme drought.

Lahaina fire of Aug. 8, 2023, was fueled by powerful winds whipped up by a combination of a hurricane passing some 500 miles (800 kilometers) to south and a very strong high pressure system to north of islands. wear service issued a red flag warning at time, something it does when warm temperatures, very low humidity and strong winds combine to raise fire danger.

Laura Farris, a wear service meteorologist in Honolulu, said some drier air was expected to move in to western end of state this weekend, which presents some concerns about fire risk.

“But it’s not even close to what we saw last year,” Farris said.

pressure system to north is not as strong now as last year and system to south is a tropical storm not a hurricane, said Pao-Shin Chu, a University of Hawaii professor and state’s climatologist.

“We do see something similar but not as dramatic as Lahaina case we saw last year,” Chu said.

Separately, to Hone’s east, Hurricane Gilma was moving west across Pacific with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph.) But forecasters said Category 2 hurricane would likely weaken to a tropical depression by Wednesday as it got closer to Big Island.

cause of Lahaina blaze, deliest in United States in over a century, hasn’t been determined, but it's possible it was gained by bare electrical wire and leaning power poles toppled by strong winds.

To reduce risk of wildfires, state's electric utilities, Hawaiian Electric and Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, have since started shutting off power during high winds and dry conditions.

Last year, Maui County officials failed to activate outdoor sirens that would have warned people of approaching flames. y inste relied on a series of sometimes confusing social media posts that reached a much smaller audience.

Amos Lonokailua-Hewett, who took over as new ministrator of Maui Emergency Management Agency on Jan. 1, said in event of a wildfire threat, his agency would send alerts over rio and television brocasts, via cellphones and with sirens.

sirens sound a stey tone and no message.

“ outdoor warning siren is typically used when re is an imminent threat to public safety and situation requires public to seek more information,” Lonokailua-Hewett said in an emailed statement.