Hawaii Braces for Catastrophic Category 5 Hurricane Nolo
Hawaii's Big Island braces for Category 5 Hurricane Nolo, bringing torrential rains, life-threatening floods, and high waves as the active Pacific season continues.
Residents of the Big Island of Hawaii are preparing for potentially catastrophic and destructive weather as Hurricane Nolo passes south of the islands, bringing heavy rains, life-threatening floods, and dangerously high waves.
Hurricane Nolo Intensifies to Category 5
Early Saturday morning, the National Hurricane Center classified Nolo as a Category 5 hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (approx. 257 km/h). The storm's outer rainbands have already reached the Big Island, prompting weather services to warn of hurricane conditions, particularly in steep terrain.
The storm's center is currently located south of Hawaii's southernmost point. Moving northwest at about 16 km/h, Nolo is expected to shift northeastward by Monday and head toward the southern Baja California peninsula. Forecasters warn that parts of the Big Island could receive between 20 to 30 cm of rainfall, with amounts potentially reaching up to 41 cm.
Community Impact and Federal Response
For Big Island residents, the storm arrives as communities are still grappling with the damages left by previous hurricanes. Nolo is the third hurricane to pass near Hawaii in less than two months, following Lale and Lual.
"We are just beginning to recover from the previous storms, and now another storm is on its way that is expected to be more significant than the previous ones, it's tough," said Mark Peters, a resident of Naalehu.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green announced that President Donald Trump approved the state's request for a disaster emergency declaration, enabling federal assistance for emergency protection measures across the region.
