HONOLULU — Hurricane Hone passed just south of Hawaii on Sunday morning, dropping enough rain to force the National Weather Service to lift warnings that its high winds could spark wildfires in drier parts of the archipelago’s islands.
Hone (pronounced how-NEH) was packing winds of 130 kilometers per hour (80 mph), according to a 2 a.m. warning from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu, and was moving west near the southern tip of the Big Island, close enough to lash the coast with tropical storm force winds and drop up to a foot or more of rain on the windward and southeast slopes of the Big Island, with locally higher amounts possible.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Gilma strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane on Saturday night, but was still about 1,460 miles (2,380 kilometers) east of Hilo and is expected to weaken to a depression before reaching Hawaii.
“The greatest threats to the Hone State remain the potential for heavy rainfall leading to flash flooding, damaging winds and large waves along the eastern seaboard,” the weather service warned early Sunday.
Big Island Mayor Mitch Roth said several beach parks on the Big Island were closed due to dangerously high waves, and officials were preparing to open shelters if needed.
Hone, whose name means “sweet and gentle” in Hawaiian, recalled last year’s deadly fires on Maui, which were sparked by hurricane force winds. Red flag warnings are issued when warm temperatures, very low humidity and stronger winds combine to create a fire hazard. Most of the archipelago is already abnormally dry or in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
“They need to take this seriously,” said Calvin Endo, a Waianae Coast community board member who lives in Makaha, a fire-prone neighborhood on Oahu’s lee shores.
The fire that broke out on August 8, 2023 historic town of Lahaina was the deadliest wildfire in US in more than a century, with 102 deaths. Dry, overgrown grasses and drought helped spread the fire.
For years, Endo has been concerned about dry brush on private property behind his home. He has taken matters into his own hands by clearing the brush himself, but he worries about nearby homes that are bordered by overgrown vegetation.
“All you need is fire and wind and we’ve got another Lahaina,” Endo said Saturday. “I can tell the wind’s already started to pick up.”
The cause of the fire in Lahaina is still under investigation, but it is possible that it is inflamed by bare power lines and leaning utility poles that were blown over by the high winds. The state’s two power companies, Hawaiian Electric and the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, had been prepared to shut off power if necessary to reduce the chance of live, damaged power lines starting fires, but they later said the safety measures would not be necessary as Hone swept through the islands.
Roth said a small fire that started Friday night in Waikoloa, on the dry side of the Big Island, was contained with no injuries or damage.