Hurricane Nolo is expected to strengthen as it spins near the Hawaiian Islands over the weekend.
Although Nolo is not expected to make direct landfall in Hawaii, it will likely bring tropical storm conditions — and possibly hurricane conditions — to the Big Island this weekend. The National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning and hurricane watch for the Big Island. Maui is under a tropical storm watch.
Forecasters say Nolo could dump 15 to 30 inches of rain over mountainous areas of the Big Island, raising concerns about flash flooding and mudslides. The area could also be battered by tropical-storm-force winds from Friday evening through the weekend.
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An Air Force Reserve reconnaissance plane found the storm meandering south of the Big Island. The slow-moving system is expected to strengthen from a Category 1 hurricane to a Category 4 storm by early next week.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green issued a state of emergency ahead of the storm’s worst impacts. He also ordered some state offices and schools to close Friday, though essential state offices will remain open.
Last month, Hurricane Lala narrowly missed making direct landfall on the Big Island. Still, the storm dropped as much as 43 inches of rain. Officials said more than 100 homes were damaged or destroyed.
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