Nolo’s outer rainbands reached Hawaii’s Big Island on Friday evening. The hurricane is moving slowly near the island, bringing a threat of heavy rain and flash flooding; hurricane conditions could reach steep terrain on Saturday. After Lala and Lowell, this is another hurricane passing near Hawaii within less than two months. The National Hurricane Center rated it a Category 2 hurricane.
Nolo’s outer rainbands reached Hawaii’s Big Island on Friday evening, as the storm moved slowly south of the island. Heavy rain and flash flooding are possible during its passage nearby, and rain is also expected to reach Maui. The Big Island is the largest island in the US state of Hawaii.[1], [2]
In the National Hurricane Center snapshot reported by NBC, Nolo was then a Category 2 hurricane. Its centre was south of South Point on the Big Island and moving slowly north-northeast. Maximum sustained winds were 105 mph, with the centre 145 miles south of South Point and moving at 3 mph. Hurricane conditions could reach steep terrain on Saturday. Slow movement forms part of the concern about rain reaching the island.[1]
Nolo follows Lala and Lowell, two other hurricanes that passed near Hawaii within less than two months. That recent sequence provides context for renewed rain and wind warnings as this storm approaches the Big Island. El Niño involves warmer sea-surface water in the eastern Pacific; NBC News links it to this active hurricane season. Nolo’s rainbands and the warning for possible Saturday conditions are the current developments within that wider seasonal context.[1]
