(BIVN) – State and County emergency officials are monitoring a new tropical disturbance in the Central Pacific Ocean, just days after Hurricane Lala impacted Hawaiʻi with damaging winds and severe flooding.
The Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense said in a noon radio message that the disturbance “could develop into something more serious.”
“While it is too early to determine the track, intensity, and magnitude of potential impact, it is not too early for you to again prepare for possible bad weather,” the civil defense message stated.
The potential storm “is likely to strengthen and could be a hurricane when it passes near or over portions of the Hawaiian islands this weekend,” said Brad Reinhart, a senior hurricane specialist with the National Hurricane Center, in a Wednesday YouTube video short.
Hawaiian Electric said in a 3 p.m. update that it “remains focused on restoring power across Hawaiʻi Island, Maui and Oʻahu while monitoring a new potential storm system forming in the Pacific.”
In a discussion posted at 5:33 p.m. HST, the National Weather Service in Honolulu stated:
We are fully focused on the potential for tropical storm development to our ESE, and we expect the NHC to begin official forecasts late tonight or early Thursday morning. At this time, models suggest it could track similarly to Lala. However, because a clear center has yet to form, it is impossible to accurately predict (with any confidence) the details we all want to know.
“We urge folks to stay tuned for each new forecast as things will become clearer and better defined rapidly over time,” the National Weather Service added. “And as we noticed with Lala, there will probably be a surprise or two even after the models seem to have come into agreement.”
