HILO, Hawaii – Hurricane Nolo was pulling away from Hawaii on Sunday, but dangerous conditions remained across parts of the islands, where residents were already dealing with the aftermath of earlier storms. Heavy rain, flash flooding and damaging winds continued to pose a threat.
By Sunday morning, Nolo was roughly 260 miles (418 kilometers) southwest of Hawaii’s southernmost point and moving away from the Big Island at approximately 12 mph (19 kph). The Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency kept high wind, wind and high surf advisories in effect for portions of the island through Sunday evening. Meanwhile, the hurricane’s maximum sustained winds had strengthened to nearly 105 mph (165 kph).
The National Hurricane Center said Nolo was likely to intensify further and curve northwest by Sunday night. However, the storm’s center was expected to stay well south and southwest of the Hawaiian Islands. Early this week, Nolo was forecast to move toward the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, a protected national conservation area.
Forecasters warned that Nolo’s outer rainbands could trigger life-threatening flooding and mudslides. Some areas of the Big Island could receive as much as 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain, while heavy downpours were also expected across the other Hawaiian islands.
“Don’t venture out if you don’t have to into the dangerous flooding environment, but also high winds. We can have trees and power lines down,” said Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center.
Downpours swept across southern sections of the Big Island on Saturday afternoon, forcing partial closures along one of the main routes between Kailua-Kona on the western side and Hilo on the east.
Near Naalehu at the island’s southern tip, National Guard personnel helped direct a man attempting to drive through flooded roads as he left his home during the intense rainfall. More than 120 Guard members were deployed on the Big Island, among approximately 400 activated statewide after the governor declared an emergency.
The latest storm arrived as communities continued rebuilding after Hurricane Lala, whose powerful winds and heavy rain reportedly tore about 100 homes from their foundations on the Big Island.
Hawaii braces for Nolo’s northern edge
At Carlsmith Beach Park in Hilo, about a dozen people entered the water Saturday morning despite posted notices that the beach was closed. Andrea Gill, who had gone for her usual swim, planned to return home and shelter with her family.
Businesses were boarded up and public events were called off as the storm approached. Gill said residents were accustomed to frequent rain but less familiar with hurricane-force winds, and she hoped Nolo would spare the islands from its worst effects.
“We’re used to lots of rain. We’re not used to wind. So it’s always a blessing when we don’t get the wind from the hurricane,” Gill said.
President Donald Trump signed an emergency declaration Friday, allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate relief efforts and make financial assistance available.
Hawaiian Electric said crews that had been helping restore electricity on Kauai following Hurricane Lowell earlier this month were redirected to Oahu, Maui and the Big Island ahead of Nolo’s arrival.
On Maui, a brush fire erupted in the western part of the island Saturday, leading to mandatory evacuations for some residents. The blaze was burning near Olowalu, approximately 7 miles (11 kilometers) south of Lahaina, where deadly fires struck in 2023. Hawaiian Electric shut off power to much of the area as a precaution against the fire.
The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning for portions of Maui Saturday evening. The alert covered winds of at least 40 mph (64 kph), with gusts potentially exceeding 60 mph (97 kph).
The Pacific has experienced an unusually busy hurricane season, said National Weather Service lead forecaster Bob Oravec. Storm activity has been running above normal during the peak period of the season, a pattern he said is often associated with El Niño conditions, which can fuel more tropical storms and hurricanes across the Pacific.
Powerful Hurricane Polo takes aim at Mexico
Farther east, Mexico was preparing for Hurricane Polo as the storm moved toward the Baja California Peninsula after producing severe weather along the country’s southwestern coast. By Sunday, Polo had slowed and weakened to a Category 3 hurricane, Mexico’s National Meteorological Service, known as SMN, reported.
In a post on X early Sunday, SMN said Polo was moving toward the peninsula at around 10 mph (16 kph) and was expected to make landfall Monday. The hurricane had sustained winds of about 120 mph (195 kph), down from its peak of 140 mph (220 kph).
The Mexican navy said in a statement that it has gathered personnel and humanitarian aid in the ports of Guaymas and Mazatlan, on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, and has deployed three vessels that could ship aid to coastal communities isolated by the hurricane.
One of the towns in the hurricane’s projected path is San Juanico, a small fishing community on Baja’s Pacific coast where access to basic needs is already fickle. The town has only had full-time electricity for a couple of years, and it still experiences frequent outages. The closest gas station is so far away that fuel is stored in and sold from tanks, and supply frequently runs out if there is high demand. There is concern that washed out roads could block access to the closest medical facility, about 80 minutes away in Ciudad Constitucion.
“Our people are concerned about this event,” said Gloriely Robles Meza, a manager at a small hotel. “We haven’t faced such a worrying situation in many years.”
Robles Meza said Sunday that the Mexican Army arrived in San Juanico to prepare a shelter and to provide support for possible emergencies. An electrical crew was also there to prepare for Polo’s arrival.
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Associated Press writers Christopher Weber in Los Angeles, Gabriela Aoun Angueira in San Diego, California, and Hannah Schoenbaum in Midway, Utah, contributed.
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