Tropical Storm Henriette is forecast by the Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the National Hurricane Center to miss Hawaii to its north, but it and what’s left of Hurricane Gil will help bring much needed moisture that’ll be welcome to a state dealing with a severe drought.
As of the latest official advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Henriette was located about 1,555 miles due east of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii. Maximum sustained winds are up to 50 mph while minimum central pressure is down to 1005 mb or 29.68″. The storm is moving due west at 16 mph for now. The National Hurricane Center expects this motion to continue over the next couple of days but then start a more northwestward turn, keeping the center well to the north of the Hawaiian islands. While it moves around the open waters of the Central Pacific hurricane basin, little change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours.
Stable trade winds prevail across Hawaii today while ridging aloft is providing ample subsidence and maintaining a firm lid on existing shower activity. The Aloha State will remain within the low-level moisture envelope of tropical remnants of Hurricane Gil passing north of the islands through tomorrow which will lend itself to particularly muggy conditions, especially as dewpoints peak this evening through the first half of tonight. The pressure gradient will also bottom out today as the remnant circulation makes its closest approach to the islands which has led to the emergence of sea breezes over the western slopes of the islands. In these locations, low-level moisture has been sufficient to support persistent scattered showers while mostly rain-free and muggy conditions prevail elsewhere. According to the National Weather Service office on Oahu at Honolulu, similar conditions anticipated on Thursday as trades gradually return through the day, though with comparatively less cloud cover as greater boundary layer moisture lifts away.
Eventually, moderate to locally breezy trades then make a brief return before Tropical Storm Henriette tracks north of the islands once again reducing the gradient, weakening winds, and bringing a period of muggy conditions for the weekend. That muggy, moist atmosphere could also set the stage for much needed soaking pop-up storms and showers around the island.
Large parts of Hawaii are dealing with drought, with some portions of Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii dealing with severe drought conditions and some of the slopes of Mauna Kea on Hawaii Island dealing with extreme drought.
It’s been a busy last week in Hawaii, with tropical cyclones Iona, Keli, and now Gil and Henriette moving by. Despite the increased tropical cyclone activity in the basin, Hawaii has and will continue to be spared by these direct tropical cyclone threats for the foreseeable future.
