HONOLULU (AP) — The National Hurricane Center tweeted that a new tropical storm named Hector has formed far out to sea in the eastern Pacific.
There are no coast guards or warnings, the center said.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS. The previous AP story follows below.
HONOLULU (AP) — Hurricane Hone passed just south of Hawaii on Sunday, bringing rains so heavy that the National Weather Service lifted warnings of strong winds that could spark wildfires on the drier sides of the islands.
Hone (pronounced hoe-NEH) had peak winds of 90 mph (140 kph) Sunday morning as it slowly swirled past the Big Island, centered about 45 miles (72 kilometers) from its southernmost tip, according to Jon Jelsema, a senior meteorologist with the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. He said tropical storm-force winds blew across the island’s southeastern slopes, bringing up to a foot (30 centimeters) or more of rain.
This August 25, 2024, satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Hone south of Hawaii. (NOAA via AP)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Flooding closed Highway 11 between Kona and Hilo, and the higher alternative, Cane Road, was also closed by flooding, cutting off properties like the Aikane Plantation Coffee Co. outside of Pahala. According to owner Phil Becker, his 10-inch rain gauge overflowed in the flood.
“We have pretty serious flood damage, the ravines are flowing at full force and flooding the bridges. We are stuck down here and can neither get in nor out,” Becker said on Sunday.
Becker said his plantation is off the grid and runs on batteries charged by solar power. His family is safe, so they have no reason to evacuate. The weather may even prove beneficial: “We’ve had a drought, so the coffee is probably happy about all the rain,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Gilma weakened to a still severe Category 3 hurricane on Saturday evening. However, it was located far east of Hawaii and is expected to weaken to a low pressure area before reaching the islands.
When Hurricane Hone hit, emergency shelters were opened and beach parks on the east side of the Big Island were closed because of dangerously high surf, Hawaii County Mayor Mitch Roth said.
Jelsema offered a vivid metaphor for the rain: “When the rain is pushed up the mountain terrain, it wrings it out, much like wringing out a wet towel,” he said.
“These areas are really soaked, roads are flooded. In the windward parts of the Big Island, roads are cut off by floodwaters, and that’s really the only part of the state that has major flooding concerns right now,” he said.
Hone, whose name means “sweet and gentle” in Hawaiian, still remembered last year’s deadly fires on Maui, which were fueled by hurricane-force winds. When warm temperatures, very low humidity and stronger winds combine to increase the fire danger, warning signals are issued. Most of the archipelago is already unusually dry or in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The August 8, 2023, fire that burned the historic town of Lahaina was the worst wildfire in the United States in over a century, with 102 fatalities. Dry, overgrown grass and drought contributed to the fire’s spread.
Waianae Coast Neighborhood Committee member Calvin Endo lives in Makaha, a sheltered neighborhood on Oahu that is prone to wildfires. He has been concerned for years about the dry brush on the private property behind his house. He took matters into his own hands and removed the brush himself, but he worries about the nearby homes that border the overgrown vegetation.
“All you need is fire and wind, and we’ll have a new Lahaina,” Endo said as the storm approached. “I see the wind has already picked up.”
The cause of the Lahaina fire is still under investigation, but it’s possible it was sparked by bare power lines and leaning power poles that were toppled by the high winds. The state’s two power companies, Hawaiian Electric and Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, were prepared to shut off power if necessary to reduce the risk that live or damaged power lines could spark fires, but they later said the safety measures were not necessary as Hone swept past the islands.
Roth said a small fire that broke out Friday night in Waikoloa on the dry side of the Big Island was brought under control with no injuries or damage.
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Walker reported from New York.
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