Hurricane Nolo begins slowly moving westward, remains south of Hawaii Island

News admin September 26, 2026 0 Comments

Hurricane Nolo begins slowly moving westward, remains south of Hawaii Island

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – After remaining stationary for nearly 12 hours, Hurricane Nolo has begun moving slowly toward the west and should pick up forward speed through the day, forecasters said.

While Nolo’s center is remaining south of the main Hawaiian islands, significant flash flooding remains possible for Hawaii Island, along with damaging waves and storm surges.

The National Hurricane Center said at 8 a.m. Saturday, Nolo’s maximum sustained winds had diminished slightly to 100 miles per hour, making it a category 2 hurricane.

Hurricane force winds extend up to 45 miles from the center, while tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 140 miles.

Nolo remained centered about 145 miles south of South Point, or 335 miles south-southeast of Honolulu.

On the forecast track, the center of Nolo will remain well south of the main Hawaiian Islands.

Nolo is forecast to rapidly intensify into a major category 3 hurricane this weekend.

The hurricane remains in an area with very warm sea surface temperatures and abundant moisture which will cause rapid intensification.

Potential threats

WIND: Tropical storm conditions are occurring and hurricane-force gusts are possible in portions of the warning area in areas of steep terrain.

Tropical storm conditions are possible in the tropical storm watch area beginning today. Gusts to tropical storm force are occurring in Maui County in areas of steep terrain.

Regardless of the exact track of Nolo, strong and gusty winds are possible for all of the Hawaiian Islands through the weekend.

RAIN: For the eastern and southern portions of the Big Island, Nolo will produce additional rainfall totals 4 to 8 inches with isolated totals of 10 inches, bringing storm totals to 10 to 20 inches with maximum amounts of 25 inches. This rainfall could produce significant, life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain.

For the western portions of the Big Island, rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are expected. For eastern Maui, additional rainfall totals of 1 to 2 inches are expected, bringing storm totals to 4 to 8 inches with maximum amounts of 10 inches. Life-threatening flooding and mudslides are possible, especially in areas of high terrain.

Across the remainder of the Hawaiian Islands, maximum storm total rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches are expected.

STORM SURGE: The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide. Hawaii County to expect 1 to 3 ft.

SURF: Swells generated by Nolo are affecting exposed east- and south-facing shores of the Big Island and are expected to spread westward and build through the weekend. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Weather Alerts

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Hawaii County.

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for Hawaii County.

A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued for Maui County, including the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe.

A Flood Watch remains in effect for the islands of Hawaii and Maui County through 6 p.m. Saturday.

A High Surf Advisory has been issued for the east shores of Molokai and Maui and the east and southeast shores of Hawaii Island.

A Wind Advisory is in effect until 6 p.m. Sunday for Niihau, Kauai and Oahu. East winds of 25 to 35 miles per hour with gusts near 55 miles per hour will be possible.