HONOLULU — A tropical storm is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain to Hawaii this weekend, particularly the Big Island and Maui, as the storm moves south of the archipelago.
The August storm brings back memories of the powerful hurricane south of Hawaii that struck a deadly forest fire that devastated the town of Lahaina on Maui last summer, but the National Weather Service reported Thursday that Tropical Storm Hone did not produce the same conditions.
In addition, Hurricane Gilma was moving westward across the Pacific Ocean to the east of Hone, but it was too early to tell if this would have any impact on the islands.
Hone, which means “sweet and gentle” in Hawaiian and is pronounced hoo-NEH, is expected to bring sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph (32-48 km/h) and gusts of 50 mph (80 mph) to Maui and the Big Island. Oahu and Kauai are expected to see slightly weaker winds.
The east coast and southeast corner of the Big Island could receive 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) of rain Saturday night through Sunday night. Maui could receive 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters).
These forecasts are subject to change depending on the track of the storm. Thursday night, the storm was about 815 miles (1,310 kilometers) east-southeast of Hilo. It was moving westward at 16 mph (26 kph).
The Lahaina fire on August 8, 2023, was fanned by high winds fueled by a combination of a hurricane passing about 500 miles (800 kilometers) to the south and a very strong high pressure system north of the islands. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning at the time, something they do when warm temperatures, very low humidity, and strong winds combine to increase fire danger.
Laura Farris, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu, said drier air is expected to move into the western part of the state this weekend, raising concerns about fire danger.
“But it’s not even close to what we saw last year,” Farris said.
The pressure area to the north is not as strong now as it was last year, and the tropical system to the south is a storm, not a hurricane, said Pao-Shin Chu, a University of Hawaii professor and state climatologist.
“We are seeing something similar, but not as dramatic as the Lahaina case last year,” Chu said.
Hurricane Gilma had maximum sustained winds of nearly 120 mph (193 km/h), making it a Category 3 hurricane. It was moving slowly toward the west. The National Weather Service said Gilma was expected to slowly weaken over the weekend.
The cause of the Lahaina fire, the deadliest in the United States in more than a century, has not yet been determined, but it is possible that it was ignited by bare electrical wire and crooked electricity poles blown over by the strong wind.
To reduce the risk of wildfires, the state’s utilities, Hawaiian Electric and the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, have begun turning off power during high winds and dry conditions.
Last year, Maui County officials failed to activate sirens outside that would have warned the people of Lahaina of the approaching flames. Instead, they relied on a series of sometimes confusing social media posts that reached a much smaller audience.
Amos Lonokailua-Hewett, who became the new director of the Maui Emergency Management Agency on Jan. 1, said his agency would send out warnings via radio and television broadcasts, cell phones and sirens if a wildfire threatens.
The sirens sound continuously, but there is no message.
“The outdoor siren is typically used when there is an immediate threat to public safety and the situation requires the public to seek more information,” Lonokailua-Hewett said in an emailed statement.