Tropical Storm Moke Impacts Hawaii with Heavy Rainfall after Hurricane Lala

Honolulu faced intense weather conditions as Tropical Storm Moke passed near Hawaii on Sunday. This storm followed Hurricane Lala, affecting Big Island communities with heavy rain. The National Hurricane Center pinpointed Moke’s center approximately 320 miles (515 kilometers) south-southwest of Hilo during midday.

Moke had top sustained winds of around 40 mph (65 kph). The primary concern was the significant rainfall in areas still recovering from last weekend’s hurricane, which caused floods, mudslides, and damaged infrastructure. Hawaii reported two deaths associated with Hurricane Lala.

Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda advised residents via social media to avoid travel and remain sheltered as a precaution. Several shelters were opened for those in need.

Forecasts predicted Moke could deliver up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain across the Big Island, with some areas possibly receiving up to 15 inches (38 centimeters). The threat of life-threatening flooding and mudslides was imminent, particularly on the windward and southeast slopes, steep terrain, and locations impacted by Lala.

In eastern Maui, expectations were for rain accumulation of up to 6 inches (15 centimeters), while other islands might experience 1 to 2 inches (between 2.5 and 5 centimeters).

A vehicle was seen driving past an uprooted tree on Hawaii Belt Road, near Pahala. The Big Island was anticipated to endure most of Moke’s impact as the storm moved westward, south of Hawaii’s island chain. Following Lala’s departure, it was downgraded to a tropical storm and remained strong in the Central Pacific.

The northeast coast of the Big Island experienced Lala’s heaviest rainfall, totaling 43.54 inches (1.1 meters), reported by the weather service.

Governor Josh Green urged residents to prepare by restocking essentials including food and medicine. Over 6,500 customers in the county were still without power due to Lala, as noted by poweroutage.us.

In other weather developments, Tropical Storm Iselle emerged in the eastern Pacific, strengthening far from Mexico’s southwest coast. Iselle’s sustained winds reached 50 mph (85 kph) on Sunday, positioned about 535 miles (860 kilometers) southwest of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. Regardless, no coastal watches or warnings were activated for Iselle, which was moving northwest at 16 mph (26 kph).

The U.S. National Hurricane Center announced that Iselle could escalate to hurricane status within a day or two, projecting strong ocean swells on Baja’s western coastline beginning Monday.