Emergency crews worked Monday to restore power and assess damage after Hurricane Hone struck the Big Island of Hawaii as weather forecasters tracked Hurricane Gilma in the eastern Pacific.
Hone strengthened into a Category 1 storm as it moved south across the Big Island early Sunday, dumping more than a foot of rain on parts of the island and up to 18 inches in some areas. Several major roads were flooded, rivers swelled and thousands of homes and businesses lost power, but no major damage was reported.
According to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center, Hone weakened to a topical storm Sunday night as it moved toward the western Hawaiian Islands. By Monday morning, coastal watches and warnings were discontinued while officials downgraded a flood warning for the entire Big Island to a flood watch.
Hurricane Gilma Tracking:See the latest details and forecast track of the storm in the Pacific
In the aftermath of the hurricane, several beaches on the Big Island were closed Monday and five public schools canceled classes due to power outages and dangerous road conditions, according to the Hawaii County website. Power outages on the islands had dropped to fewer than 2,500 by early morning, according to PowerOutage.us.
“We’re entering the recovery phase,” Hawaii County Mayor Mitch Roth said during a Facebook Live stream Sunday afternoon. He said emergency crews will survey the damage on the island this week, while linemen restore power and officials begin preparing for Hurricane Gilma. “So Gilma is coming … even though we’re done with this one, it’s good to start preparing for the next one.”
Hurricane Gilma Expected to Hit Hawaiian Islands
As Tropical Storm Hone continues to move away from the Big Island of Hawaii, forecasters and local officials are closely monitoring Hurricane Gilma in the eastern Pacific.
Gilma, 1,200 miles east of Hilo on the Big Island, is expected to bring showers, thunderstorms and gusty winds to the state later this week. As of Monday morning, the storm was packing sustained winds of 105 mph, making it a Category 2 storm.
Forecasters predict the storm will pass just north of the Hawaiian Islands, and they stressed that Gilma’s impacts will depend greatly on how close it is to the state. On its current track, Gilma is expected to lose strength and be downgraded to a tropical depression in the second half of the week, AccuWeather said.
“The combination of the two tropical cyclones will likely bring a prolonged period of rough seas and waves to the islands, posing a hazard to surfers, swimmers and small boats,” AccuWeather said, referring to Hone and Gilma.
“Gilma is still very far away from us,” Sean Miller, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu, said during a Facebook Live broadcast Sunday. “There’s still time to observe it.”
Where is Tropical Storm Hone?
Tropical Storm Hone was located 240 miles west-southwest of Honolulu and 205 miles southwest of Lihue, Hawaii, early Monday, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu.
The storm was packing a maximum speed of 65 mph (105 kph) and tropical-force winds extending to 80 mph (130 kph) from its center. Moving west at 13 mph (21 kph), the storm is expected to continue moving away from Hawaii and weaken early this week, the hurricane center said.
Back-to-back storms passing near Hawaii are extremely rare, experts say
If Hurricane Gilma hits Hawaii by Sunday, it will be the first time in more than 30 years that two named storms have passed within 300 miles of the state in one week.
The last time two consecutive named storms hit the islands was in September 1992, when Hurricane Iniki, the most powerful storm to make a direct hit on Hawaii, was followed three days later by Tropical Depression Orlene, according to AccuWeather.
Storms don’t have to hit Hawaii directly to wreak havoc. Last year, Hurricane Dora sparked the deadliest wildfires in the United States in more than a century.
Forecasters had feared that Hone’s winds could replicate Dora’s impact, especially as large swaths of the islands suffer from relentless drought conditions, but the storm brought enough rain to ease fears and rescind wildfire warnings for parts of Hawaii’s Big Island.
Tropical Storm Hector Expected to Strengthen in Eastern Pacific
To the east of Hurricane Gilma is Tropical Storm Hector, the latest storm to hit the Pacific.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm is expected to continue moving west toward Hawaii over the next few days. While officials are closely monitoring the storm, it’s far too early to tell how close it will get to the state.
As of Monday morning, Hector was more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) west-southwest of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. The storm was moving west at 10 mph (16 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 kph), the hurricane center said.
As wind shear diminishes, the storm is expected to gain strength as it moves toward the central Pacific basin early this week. Hector’s intensification is expected to be limited by a region of dry air and stronger wind shear, according to the hurricane center.
