First Alert Forecast: Nolo will intensify and become a major hurricane
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hurricane Nolo is moving north-northeast tonight, located south of South Point on the Big Island as it slowly churns and intensifies. The most critical window for Hawaii Island will be Friday PM into Saturday as it makes its closest approach.
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Nolo is forecast to make a sharp turn westward Saturday, just south of the Big Island.
And Nolo is expected to strengthen significantly.
The forecast calls for steady to rapid intensification, with Nolo potentially becoming a major hurricane this weekend.
For the Big Island, the biggest concern remains catastrophic rainfall and flooding. Eastern and southern areas could see 15 to 30 inches of rain, with locally higher amounts up to 35 inches.
That could trigger life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides, especially in steep terrain.
Western parts of the Big Island could see 5 to 8 inches, with up to 10 inches possible.
Maui could see 4 to 8 inches, with locally higher amounts up to 15 inches.
Even farther west, the rest of the islands could see 1 to 3 inches, with isolated totals up to 6 inches.
A Hurricane Watch remains in effect for Hawaii County, with a Tropical Storm Warning also in effect for the Big Island.
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A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Maui County, including Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe.
Tropical-storm conditions are expected to begin late Friday on the Big Island, with hurricane conditions possible as early as Saturday.
Storm surge could also push water 1 to 3 feet above normally dry ground along parts of the Big Island coast, with dangerous waves and surf building through the weekend.
The message tonight is simple: this is a serious and potentially dangerous situation, especially for the Big Island.
Nolo is expected to strengthen and turn west this weekend, and we’ll continue tracking every change with the First Alert team.
View the latest weather conditions here.
Download the HNN Weather app from the Apple App Store or Google Play for the latest updates from your First Alert Weather Team: chief meteorologist Jennifer Robbins and weather anchors Guy Hagi, Dan Cooke, Ben Gutierrez, and Billy V.
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