After a deadly and destructive run-in with Hurricane Lala just weeks ago, authorities in Hawaii are urging people there to prepare for additional storm threats in the coming days and weeks.
Two developed named tropical cyclones in the Pacific are moving in the general direction of Hawaii now, but are still far away from the islands; no impacts of any kind are expected for days in the Aloha State.
The first system is Tropical Storm Lowell. Located about 900 miles east-southeast of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii, the storm has maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and a minimum central pressure down to 999 mb or 29.50″.
Lowell is moving toward the west near 12 mph and a general westward motion is expected during the next two to three days. A gradual turn toward the west-northwest is forecast later this week by the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) and the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Maximum sustained winds in Lowell are near 50 mph with higher gusts. Gradual strengthening is expected during the next few days, and Lowell could become a hurricane by Monday night or Tuesday. It’s possible Lowell could intensify further into a Major Hurricane and have winds greater than 110 mph with time.
The second system of concern is Hurricane Karina. Karina has already reached Major Hurricane status.
According to the NHC, Karina is located about 985 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California. With maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, the minimum central pressure has dropped down to 954 mb.
Karina is moving toward the west near 9 mph and this motion is expected to continue through the day on Monday. A turn toward the west-northwest is forecast Monday night into Tuesday. Karina is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale and the NHC says that some additional strengthening is possible over the next day or so.
It is still far too soon to say with a great deal of certainty whether these storms will directly or indirectly impact the Islands of Hawaii in the coming days and weeks. Nevertheless, authorities still want people in Hawaii to prepare for such a possibility.
Hawaii County Civil Defense pushed out cellular TXTs and emails today encouraging people to prepare. In their outbound messages, they wrote, ” Although it is too early to forecast with confidence what if any effects Lowell will have on the state, it is always better to take the time to prepare for possible bad weather. ”
Hawaii County Civil Defense added, “As we continue through what has been forecast to be a more active hurricane season, residents and businesses are encouraged to review and develop preparedness plans.” Recommended preparation planning includes collecting supplies; they recommend three weeks worth of water, non-perishable food, medicine, and fuel be stored in case services go out again.
