As Hawaii residents continue to wade through the mud and debris left by Hurricane Lala’s strong winds and pounding rains, another storm now looms over the eastern horizon, not far from where Lala first formed. A tropical depression that could soon have winds strong enough to become Tropical Storm Moke (pronounced MOH-keh) is swirling in an area where weather and ocean conditions are ripe for it to strengthen.
Key things to know
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Timing: The closest approach to the Big Island is expected to happen on Sunday.
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Effects: As of Thursday’s forecast path, the worst effects appear to be additional rainfall on the Big Island, increasing the likelihood of more mudslides.
Uncertainty looms again
As with the early stages of Hurricane Lala last week, much remains uncertain about what this storm is going to do. Forecasters in Hawaii emphasized Thursday that severe weather might occur far from the center of the storm, advising people not to be lulled into a false sense of security by models showing the center passing far to the south.
The storm’s most probable path places it a bit farther south of the island chain than where Lala traversed last weekend. But there’s a lot of uncertainty: Forecast models shifted more northward on Wednesday and then slightly southward again on Thursday.
For now, forecasters warn that another five to 10 inches of rain — with isolated amounts up to 15 inches — could fall on the Big Island if the storm reaches tropical storm strength and follows its predicted path.
Rain would begin to increase on the east side of the state Saturday night into Sunday, and then it would spread west Sunday night into Monday. The rest of the Hawaiian Islands can expect anywhere from one to three inches.
As with Lala, the timing, direction and strength of the wind will depend on the storm’s track and intensity. The closer the storm gets to the Big Island, the stronger those winds will be. Even if the storm stays farther away, an increase in strength could still bring heavy winds to areas battered last weekend.
Landfall — when the center of the storm crosses from sea over land — is even less likely than it was with Lala, but forecasters will be watching for that possibility closely in the coming days. Another unlikely outcome is the storm taking a path so far south that it passes the area without leaving any damage.
The post A Week After Hurricane Lala, Hawaii Faces Another Storm Threat appeared first on New York Times.
