Tropical Storm Moke swept south of Hawaii on Sunday, dumping heavy rain on Big Island communities still reeling from the damage left by Hurricane Lala just days earlier.
Around midday Sunday, the National Hurricane Center placed Moke’s center roughly 320 miles south-southwest of Hilo. The system carried maximum sustained winds of 40 mph as it moved westward along a path south of the main Hawaiian Islands.
While Moke’s wind speeds remained relatively low, meteorologists warned that its rainfall posed a severe threat to ground already saturated by Lala. The earlier hurricane triggered widespread flooding, mudslides, and power outages, and has been linked to two deaths in the state.
Forecasters projected that Moke could bring 10 to 15 inches of rain to parts of the Big Island, creating risks of life-threatening flash floods and mudslides on windward and southeast slopes. Eastern Maui was expected to receive up to 6 inches of rain, while other islands were forecast to see 1 to 2 inches.
Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda urged the public to take precautions as the weather deteriorated. In a post on social media, Alameda said residents “should stay off the roads and shelter in place.” County officials opened several emergency shelters for people seeking safe refuge.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green also called on residents to restock food, prescription medications, and emergency supplies. Recovery efforts from Lala were still underway when Moke approached, with tracking site poweroutage.us reporting more than 6,500 Big Island utility customers without power on Sunday.
Lala had dumped as much as 43.54 inches of rain along the island’s northeast coast before moving into the open Central Pacific, where it weakened into a tropical storm.
Farther east, meteorologists were also monitoring Tropical Storm Iselle, which formed Sunday off Mexico’s southwest coast. Located roughly 535 miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Iselle carried sustained winds of 50 mph and was traveling northwest at 16 mph.
Forecasters said Iselle could strengthen into a hurricane early in the week and send large swells toward Baja’s Pacific coast, though no coastal warnings were immediately issued.
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