Hurricanes Threaten Hawaii, Could Bring Strong Winds And Heavy Rains This Week

A hurricane could encroach Hawaii on Tuesday, which expected to bring strong winds and heavy rains. The storm would "pass dangerously close" on Wednesday. With this, the National Weather Service (NWS) issue a hurricane warning for the island.

The National Weather Service (NWS) spotted Hurricane Madeline in about 370 miles (600 km) east of the town of Hilo around 11 A.M. local time on Tuesday. The said hurricane is ranked as a Category 3 with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph), according to Reuters. An alert stated that preparations to protect life and property should be completed by nightfall today.

AccuWeather meteorologist Ed Vallee said that the latest indications suggest that Madeline will continue its westward path before taking a slight jog to the south as it approaches the Big island on Wednesday. With this approach, hurricane Madeline will kick rough surf and rip currents, particularly along the east-facing beaches. There might be flooding and gusty winds on eastern portions of the Big Island from Wednesday to Thursday. It is expected that there will be rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches, with locally higher amounts possible in the higher terrain.

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"Even if the center narrowly misses the Big Island to the south, heavy rain may still be a concern, especially in the north- and east-facing slopes of the mountains, as tropical moisture funnels in," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said. There would be more severe impacts if the storm's track passed directly over the islands.

According to AccuWeather, after hurricane Madeline encroaches the Hawaiian Islands from Wednesday into Thursday, another hurricane named Lester will follow around Labor Day Weekend. The flooding could worsen if Lester enters the island. AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said that a more likely scenario is that Lester gets driven towards the north and west as it approaches the islands. The northern portions of the Big Islands, Molokai, Maui, Kauai and Oahu would be impacted by gusty winds, rains and rough seas.