Hawaii's main island (Big Island), which was damaged by Hurricane "Lala," is expected to come under the influence of Tropical Storm "Moke" a week later. With heavy rain again forecast for areas where recovery is not complete, concerns about flooding and landslides are growing.
According to the U.S. National Weather Service on the 22nd (local time), Moke formed over the Pacific on the 21st and is currently moving northwest at 19 kph from a point 680 kilometers southeast of Hilo. Its maximum sustained winds are 85 kph.
Between the 22nd and 23rd, Hawaii's main island is forecast to see the heaviest downpours and strong winds due to Moke. After that, through the early hours of the 25th, Moke is expected to move west toward Hawaii's other islands.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that if rain falls again in areas that saw flooding on the 15th, dangerous flooding or landslides could occur even with relatively small amounts of precipitation. Casey Oswalt, a forecaster at the National Weather Service's Honolulu office, said, "It will be weaker than the last hurricane, but areas along this storm's track, including the main island's southeastern coast, are again expected to suffer major damage."
Earlier, the main island was deluged with a whopping 110 centimeters of rain from Hurricane Lala, and more than 8,000 households on the island experienced power outages at the time. While no evacuation orders or warnings have been made official yet, residents are following disaster reports and paying close attention to the tropical storm's path.
The tropical storm is forecast to bring 13–25 centimeters of rain to the main island, with up to 28 centimeters in remote areas. While the east coast of Maui is expected to receive more than 10 centimeters of rain, Hawaii's other islands are likely to see about 2–5 centimeters.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green and the state government urged residents at a news conference before Moke's landfall to restock and prepare essential items such as food and medicine.