Second tropical threat looms near hurricane-stricken Hawaii
A disturbance southeast of Hawaii has a high chance of developing into a tropical system over the next couple of days
A busy Pacific hurricane season rolls onward as another tropical system is forming near the Hawaiian Islands.
Residents of the state continue to clean up after Hurricane Lala swiped the island chain with damaging winds and flooding rains this past weekend.
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Hurricane Lala passed just south of Hawaii’s Big Island on Sunday with extremely heavy rainfall and powerful winds.
The community of Laupahoehoe reportedly saw 1,106 mm of rainfall from the storm, and the summit of Mauna Kea experienced snowfall and a maximum wind gust of 225 km/h. More than 17,000 customers remained without power across the Big Island on Wednesday, according to Hawaiian Electric.
Lala grew into a major Category 3 hurricane as it tracked away from the islands this week, but there’s a new disturbance in town that the region will have to closely monitor.
Forecasters with the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) says that a vigorous disturbance southeast of Hawaii has a 90 per cent chance of developing into a tropical storm over the next day or so as it tracks toward the northwest.
The system will earn the name Moke if it grows into a tropical storm.
As of Wednesday, most computer models show the core of the developing system tracking south of the archipelago, though it will travel close enough that residents and visitors will have to keep a very close eye on developments through this weekend and into early next week.
Even a track far offshore can still bring gusty winds, heavy rain, dangerous surf, and rip currents to the islands.