Hurricane Alert: Second Major Storm in Two Weeks Approaches US Coast

A powerful storm system has emerged in the Pacific Ocean, bearing down on Hawaii just days after the island was battered by Hurricane Lala, which tragically resulted in the loss of at least two lives and extensive damage.

Weather experts indicate that this newly developing storm has a strong likelihood, about 90 percent, of intensifying into a tropical cyclone by Friday.

Forecasts by AccuWeather predict that this colossal system will advance to hurricane strength by Saturday and could potentially come within 100 miles of Hawaii’s Big Island shortly thereafter.

Despite various projections, the spaghetti models, which illustrate a range of possible storm tracks, suggest a scenario where the storm could make a direct impact on the Big Island as soon as Sunday.

According to AccuWeather’s lead hurricane expert, Alex DaSilva, the Big Island is particularly vulnerable to flooding, given the recent severe flooding and mudslides caused by Lala over the previous weekend.

Early forecasts predict that the Big Island and its closest neighbor, Maui, could see between four and eight inches of rain as the hurricane passes. Some areas on the Big Island may see closer to 12 inches of rain, with AccuWeather warning of a worst-case scenario of 24 inches.

Police in Hawaii have blamed two deaths on Hurricane Lala, which struck Hawaii on August 15 and caused an estimated $3-5 billion in destruction, including 100 homes being damaged or washed away in floods and mudslides.

Currently named Invest 90, the developing storm is less than 1,400 miles from Hawaii. If a cyclone forms and it reaches sustained winds of 39 to 74 mph, the National Hurricane Center will rename it Tropical Storm Iselle or Moke, depending on its location in the Pacific at that time.

Officials with NHC described the approaching storm as ‘producing showers and thunderstorms that continue to show signs of organization.’

‘A tropical depression is likely to form during the next day or so as the system moves westward,’ the weather agency’s forecast revealed. 

A tropical depression is the first stage of a tropical cyclone, where a low-pressure area forms with thunderstorms and relatively low winds.

However, these systems can quickly turn into a named tropical storm once those winds grow to a sustained speed of 39 mph with the classic swirling shape and defined center. 

Currently, AccuWeather has predicted that Invest 90 will grow into a Category 1 hurricane, meaning it is expected to develop sustained winds of 75 to 95 mph.

Hurricane Lala struck Hawaii as a Category 1 storm, with it eye coming within 30 miles of the Big Island.

Spaghetti models suggest the new hurricane could take a very similar path, although several tracks predict it will stay farther south.

‘The rainfall amounts and location of the rain is going to be largely dependent on the storm track, which could move farther south and largely miss the islands. That doesn’t mean there wouldn’t be significant impacts to land, though,’ DaSilva warned.

Governor Josh Green of Hawaii revealed that Lala damaged or destroyed over 100 homes on Hawaiʻi Island, better known as the Big Island, with most of the devastation coming during severe flooding and mudslides in the Kaʻū District on the southside of the island.

The Hawai‘i Police Department also announced that 93-year-old May Doi, who was found in the Kaʻū District, and another unidentified man were both killed during the hurricane.

This is a breaking story. More details to follow.