1 of 2 | Tropical Storm Hone is moving toward Hawaii, leading to a tropical storm warning and flash flood watch for the Big Island. Image courtesy of the National Hurricane Center
Tropical Storm Hone is moving toward Hawaii and forecasters expect it to dump heavy rain and strong wind over the course of the weekend.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center has issued a tropical storm warning for Hawaii’s Big Island as well as a flash llood watch. Advertisement
A tropical storm warning usually indicates tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area in the next 36 hours.
The center of Hone is expected to pass near or south of the Big Island on Saturday night into early Sunday morning. Tropical storm winds can extend up to 115 miles from the storm’s center.
“Hone remains a strong Tropical Storm as it continues westward toward Hawaii,” the Central Pacific Hurricane Center said in its latest update Saturday.
The storm was about 330 miles from Hilo and about 425 miles from Honolulu and was traveling at 15 mph in the update at 5 a.m. HST Saturday. Hone was moving west with wind speeds up to 65 mph.
Forecasters expect the storm to strengthen slightly over the next 48 hours.
“On its current track, Hone will brush past the southern slopes of the Big Island from tonight into Sunday morning; bringing the potential for heavy rainfall, damaging winds, and large surf,” the National Weather Service said in a statement. Advertisement
“Expect strong and gusty easterly winds and periods of heavy showers to continue Sunday into Monday as Hone passes south of the smaller islands. A brief return of moderate to breezy trade winds is expected late Monday through Wednesday of next week as Hone continues on it’s westward journey moving away from the island chain.”
