Janice R. Andrews
A tropical storm called Hone has formed in the central Pacific Ocean. This weekend, it could be very dangerous for Hawaii’s Big Island. As of right now, the storm, which started on Thursday, has top steady winds of 40 mph. Today at 5 p.m. EDT, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center said that Hone’s center is about 1,090 miles east-southeast of Honolulu and 885 miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii. It’s going 14 mph west-northwest.
It is possible for the center of Hone to pass near or just south of the Big Island between Saturday and Monday. In the next few days, the storm is likely to get stronger, which could bring bad weather to Hawaii. Up to 8 inches of rain could fall on the Big Island, and up to 4 inches of rain could fall on windward parts of the smaller islands. It was also said by the Central Pacific Hurricane Center that Hone’s waves are expected to cause dangerous surf and rip currents.
Another big storm, Hurricane Gilma, is still going strong in the eastern Pacific as Hone moves toward Hawaii. Gilma is a Category 3 storm right now, and its winds have been steady at 125 mph. The storm is about 1,980 miles east of Hilo and is moving at 7 mph west-northwest. While Gilma is likely to stay strong over the next few days, analysts think it might start to weaken over the weekend.
Even though these storms are close, Hawaii has not been given any marine watches or alerts. But people who live there should stay aware because things can change quickly.
The hurricane season in the central Pacific runs from June 1 to November 30. This year, the NOAA predicts one to four tropical storms, which is a little less than the average for the season. The situation is still changing as Hone grows, and more reports are likely.
