Hurricane Nolo is advancing towards Hawaii, heightening concerns of catastrophic flooding as it approaches the eastern part of the archipelago, according to U.S. meteorological services. The hurricane is expected to bring significant rainfall through Saturday.
On Thursday, Nolo escalated from a tropical storm to a hurricane, continuing to strengthen as it moves in a northwestern direction over the Pacific Ocean. This update was provided Friday morning by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) based in Miami, Florida, as reported by France Presse and Agerpres.
The NHC has warned that Nolo could potentially cause “rapid catastrophic and possibly lethal flooding” on Hawaii’s Big Island this weekend. Additionally, the federal meteorological agency highlighted the risk of “significant flooding” and “landslides.” A flood alert remains in effect until Saturday at 6:00 PM local time (Sunday 4:00 AM GMT).
Nolo is generating winds approaching 130 km/h, with higher gusts in certain areas, based on measurements from reconnaissance aircraft deployed by the U.S. Air Force.
Forecasts from the NHC indicate that Nolo may continue to strengthen, potentially becoming a major hurricane by Saturday.
Hawaii is still recovering from the damage inflicted by Hurricane Lala, which struck the southern part of Big Island in August, bringing destructive winds and severe flooding. Earlier in September, western islands of the archipelago also faced impacts from another hurricane, Lowell.
