Hurricane Nolo Threatens Hawaii With Catastrophic Flooding

Hurricane Nolo is forecast to bring potentially catastrophic, life-threatening flooding to Hawaii, even though the storm is not expected to make direct landfall on the islands, according to The Guardian.

What is Hurricane Nolo expected to do to Hawaii

Nolo is forecast to track west on Saturday without directly striking the islands, the Guardian reported. Despite bypassing a direct hit, forecasters say the storm will still generate heavy rainfall and large, damaging waves along the coast. The system is expected to bring tropical storm conditions to the Big Island by Friday evening before strengthening into a major hurricane on Saturday.

How much rain and flooding is expected

Forecasters say Nolo could drop as much as 25 inches of rain on parts of Hawaii, the Guardian reported, citing National Hurricane Center guidance.

By the numbers

• Up to 25 inches of rainfall forecast
• More than 230 Hawaii National Guard members activated
• Storm located roughly 200 miles south of the Big Island as of Friday morning

"This rainfall could produce catastrophic life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain," the U.S. National Hurricane Center said, according to the Guardian.

Is Hawaii preparing with the National Guard and school closures

The state activated more than 230 Hawaii National Guard members and closed schools ahead of the storm's arrival, the Guardian reported. The moves came as Nolo bore down on communities already strained by earlier extreme weather this year.

Where is the storm now and where is it headed

As of Friday morning, Nolo sat just over 200 miles south of the Big Island and was expected to head northeast, the Guardian reported. Forecasters said tropical storm conditions would arrive by Friday evening, with the system strengthening to a major hurricane by Saturday before moving west and away from direct landfall.

How are residents responding after Hurricane Lala

Nolo's heaviest rainfall is forecast to hit an area already battered by Hurricane Lala in August, where some residents remain displaced, according to the Guardian. Remote communities are still recovering from extreme weather that destroyed homes, washed out roads and left neighborhoods without power in recent months.

Troy Gacayan, a high school teacher and pastor, told Honolulu Civil Beat, as reported by the Guardian, "We're slowly starting to rebuild, but now it's almost like if this storm hits, it'll smash us back down."

Daniel Compton, a visitor from Seattle, told the Guardian, "I guess that'd be my concern – whether we're getting out of here or not, but, you know, as far as the weather goes, it is what it is."

What are officials warning about the danger

The National Hurricane Center's warning of "catastrophic life-threatening flooding and mudslides" centers on Hawaii's steep terrain, where heavy rainfall runs off quickly into populated areas below, the Guardian reported. State officials have not detailed specific evacuation orders beyond the school closures and National Guard activation confirmed Friday. The storm's track keeps it offshore, but its rain bands and wave action are expected to reach the islands regardless of a direct landfall.