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Tropical storm forecast to bring strong winds and heavy rain to Hawaii this weekend

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Tropical storm forecast to bring strong winds and heavy rain to Hawaii this weekend


HONOLULU (AP) — A tropical storm is expected to deliver strong winds and heavy rain to Hawaii this weekend, particularly to the Big Island and Maui, as it passes south of the island chain.

The August storm has evoked memories of the powerful hurricane south of Hawaii that helped fuel a deadly wildfire that destroyed Maui’s Lahaina town last summer, but the National Weather Service said Thursday that Tropical Storm Hone was not creating the same conditions.

Separately, to Hone’s east, Hurricane Gilma was moving west across the Pacific, but it was too early to tell whether it would affect the islands.

Hone, which means “sweet and soft” in Hawaiian and is pronounced hoe-NEH, was expected to bring sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph (32-48 kph) and gusts of 50 mph (80 mph) to Maui and the Big Island. Oahu and Kauai were forecast to get slightly weaker winds.

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The Big Island’s east coast and southeastern corner were expected to get 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) of rain Saturday night through Sunday night. Maui could get 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) of rain.

These predictions could change depending on the storm’s course. Late Thursday, the storm was about 815 miles (1,310 kilometers) east-southeast of Hilo. It was moving west at 16 mph (26 kph.)

The Aug. 8, 2023, Lahaina fire was fueled by powerful winds whipped up by a combination of a hurricane passing some 500 miles (800 kilometers) to the south and a very strong high pressure system to the north of the islands. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning at the time, something it does when warm temperatures, very low humidity and strong winds combine to raise fire danger.

Laura Farris, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Honolulu, said some drier air was expected to move in to the western end of the state this weekend, which presents some concerns about fire risk.

“But it’s not even close to what we saw last year,” Farris said.

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The pressure system to the north is not as strong now as last year and the tropical system to the south is a storm not a hurricane, said Pao-Shin Chu, a University of Hawaii professor and the state’s climatologist.

“We do see something similar but not as dramatic as the Lahaina case we saw last year,” Chu said.

Hurricane Gilma was packing maximum sustained winds near 120 mph (193 kph), making it a Category 3 hurricane. It was slowly moving west. The National Weather Service said Gilma was expected to slowly weaken this weekend.

The cause of Lahaina blaze, the deadliest in the United States in over a century, hasn’t been determined, but it’s possible it was ignited by bare electrical wire and leaning power poles toppled by the strong winds.

To reduce the risk of wildfires, the state’s electric utilities, Hawaiian Electric and the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, have since started shutting off power during high winds and dry conditions.

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Last year, Maui County officials failed to activate outdoor sirens that would have warned Lahaina’s people of the approaching flames. They instead relied on a series of sometimes confusing social media posts that reached a much smaller audience.

Amos Lonokailua-Hewett, who took over as the new administrator of the Maui Emergency Management Agency on Jan. 1, said in the event of a wildfire threat, his agency would send alerts over radio and television broadcasts, via cellphones and with the sirens.

The sirens sound a steady tone and no message.

“The outdoor warning siren is typically used when there is an imminent threat to public safety and the situation requires the public to seek more information,” Lonokailua-Hewett said in an emailed statement.

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Tropical Storm Hone forms in Pacific Ocean putting Hawaii on alert | Latest Weather Clips | FOX Weather

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Tropical Storm Hone forms in Pacific Ocean putting Hawaii on alert | Latest Weather Clips | FOX Weather


Tropical Storm Hone forms in Pacific Ocean putting Hawaii on alert

Tropical Storm Hone is tracking toward Hawaii after becoming a named storm on Thursday. The system is expected to bring heavy rain to the Big Island over the weekend and into next week. 



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4.7-magnitude earthquake rattles Hawaii Island amid busy week of seismic activity

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4.7-magnitude earthquake rattles Hawaii Island amid busy week of seismic activity


HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A 4.7-magnitude earthquake struck Hawaii Island early Thursday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Authorities confirmed there was no tsunami threat.

The quake happened at 12:52 a.m. south of Fern Forest, at a depth of four miles below sea level.

“Most earthquakes in this region are caused by abrupt motion of Kilauea volcano’s south flank, which moves to the southeast over the oceanic crust,” said the U.S. Geological Survey. “The location, depth, and waveforms recorded as part of today’s earthquake are consistent with slip along faults related to the south flank detachment fault.”

HVO said while there is no impact to either Kilauea or Mauna Loa volcano, geologists are continuing to monitor for any changes. They added that aftershocks are possible in the coming days to weeks.

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USGS’ “Did You Feel It?” page reported more than 300 responses within the first hour.

Some people on Molokai, Oahu and even Kauai reported that they experienced some shaking.

This comes amid a busy week of seismic activity in the area.

In an 8-hour span early Tuesday, about 200 quakes were monitored.

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Opossum found in shipping container raises concerns about growing threat in Hawaii

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Opossum found in shipping container raises concerns about growing threat in Hawaii


HONOLULU (KHON2) — An opossum discovered Tuesday in a shipping container was the second live opossum in a month found in Hawaii, raising the concerns about the growing threat of invasive species in our islands.

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KHON2 raised the question, ‘what’s bringing the animal here and what’s being done to prevent them from ending up in Hawaii in the first place?’

“It was relatively small, so it’s probably a juvenile, I think male, so one-and-a-half to two-feet,” said Jonathan Ho, acting manager for the Plant Quarantine Branch at the State Department of Agriculture.

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The four-legged stowaway captured Tuesday while small, poses a huge risk to the delicate ecosystem of the islands as omnivores and carriers of parasites.

The opossum was tested for rabies, as was the one caught last month on a window ledge of an office building in downtown Honolulu.

In all, there have been 7 opossums captured in Hawaii since 2005 and they’ve all been in the summer months.

Experts speculate the animals are looking for cooler shelter.

Opossum captured in downtown Honolulu

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“Anecdotally it’s hot. They’re basically looking for shelter. Containers are open when these guys are doing their loading or it’s inside a pallet they get placed in and they get a trip to Hawaii,” said Ho.

This discovery highlights a broader issue of the inspection and prevention efforts in Hawaii.

The State has no jurisdiction on inspections outside of the islands, the sole responsibility of capturing these invasive species falls on the State DOAG. The challenge for inspectors are the same as with all State departments: not enough money or resources.

While the department’s general fund was given a significant boost of $19.2 million dollars for combating invasive species this past legislative session, with 4 to 5,000 containers arriving in Hawaii a week, and only around 65 inspectors statewide, the chances of these unwelcomed critters slipping through are real.

A consistant stream of funding is what Ho said would be more effective.

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“Just trying to really manage constant pressure when you’re kind of year to year is really not an efficient way to really manage this problem, because it’s not going to stop. We’re going to continually import, you know, opossums or whatever is going to be in containers,” continued Ho.

For now, the Department of Agriculture says education is the easiest solution.

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Anyone spotting an illegal animal should call the statewide pest hotline at 808-643-PEST (7378).

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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