Hurricane Nolo moves away from Hawaii as flood threat persists

HILO, Hawaii — Hurricane Nolo moved away from Hawaii on Sunday, but its outer bands still threatened heavy rain, flash flooding and strong winds on islands battered by two earlier storms. None of the three hurricanes has made landfall in the state.

Nolo’s center was expected to remain south and southwest of the islands, according to the National Hurricane Center. NBC News reported that it was a Category 4 hurricane Sunday afternoon and was forecast to strengthen. The Guardian reported maximum sustained winds of 115 mph as it moved away from the Big Island.

Hawaii County’s civil defense agency kept high wind, wind and high surf advisories in effect for parts of the Big Island through Sunday evening. Forecasters warned that Nolo’s outer bands could bring life-threatening flooding and mudslides, with some areas of the island potentially receiving up to 20 inches of rain. Heavy rain also was expected elsewhere in the island chain.

“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.

Rain on Saturday partially closed a main highway connecting Kailua-Kona and Hilo. More than 120 National Guard members were activated on the Big Island, among roughly 400 statewide, after Gov. Josh Green issued an emergency proclamation. President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate assistance and provide funding support.

Officials reported some rescues but no deaths or major damage from Nolo, NBC News reported. “For the most part, we dodged a huge bullet. It could have been much worse,” Hilo Mayor Kimo Alameda told the network.

The danger has compounded the strain left by Hurricanes Lala and Lowell. Alameda said Lala killed two people and damaged more than 200 homes last month without making landfall. The Guardian reported that Lala’s rain and winds swept about 100 Big Island homes off their foundations. Green issued three disaster proclamations for damage from separate storms in September, according to NBC News. Hawaiian Electric said crews that had been restoring power on Kauai after Lowell returned to other islands in response to Nolo, The Guardian reported.

“So there’s storm fatigue and there’s some PTSD,” Alameda said. In Nāʻālehu, resident Peggy McKibbin pointed to a bakery, fire station and hardware store wiped out by Lala. “Everyone has been very much affected by this,” she said.

Nolo was expected to approach the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument early this week; a hurricane watch was in effect for the area. National Weather Service lead forecaster Bob Oravec said Pacific storm activity was running above average during the peak of hurricane season, a pattern consistent with El Niño years.

Mexico, meanwhile, was preparing for Hurricane Polo to reach the Baja California peninsula Monday after it lashed parts of the country’s southwest coast. Polo was a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 125 mph Sunday afternoon. Mexico issued a hurricane warning for part of its mainland coast, and its navy assembled aid and personnel and deployed three vessels to help reach communities that could be isolated.

Tropical Storm Rachel also formed off Mexico’s southwest coast Sunday, with sustained winds of 40 mph. NBC News reported a tropical storm watch was in effect; The Guardian reported that no coastal watches or warnings were in effect.