Hawaii may soon be dealing with the effects of a hurricane along with a three-months active volcano on the Big Island.
On Sunday the National Hurricane Center upgraded Hurricane Hector to a Category 4 storm, with sustained winds of 130 miles-per-hour and higher gusts.
Over the course of the week, Hector, currently located more than 1,000 miles southeast of the Big Island, is forecast to swing west. By Wednesday forecasters predict it will slowly weaken and sweep south of the island chain. While a direct hit isn’t expected at the moment, the storm could be close enough to impact Hawaiians with rain, rough surf, and strong gusts of wind.
“Waves can increase to around 10 feet offshore of the southeast-facing coast of the Big Island at midweek,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rossio said in a post on Sunday. “Hector will also pass close enough to the Big Island to bring locally enhanced showers and thunderstorms and gusty winds over southern and southeastern sections of the island.”
“We want to remind the public we are in the middle of the hurricane season and we urge people to take the weekend to prepare their homes and families for impacts that could be felt statewide,” said Tom Travis, Administrator of Emergency Management in a bulletin Friday.
#Hurricane #HECTOR and #Hawaii. Looks dramatic, but it should miss. Should. (Today’s Chaserdude Update is brought to you by the letter “H.”) pic.twitter.com/UwO4hY0jUN
— Josh Morgerman (@iCyclone) August 5, 2018
Hector would be the first hurricane to impact Hawaii this year. But the Aloha State hasn’t been without its fair share of natural disasters.
Southeast areas of the Big Island have been impacted by eruptions from the Kilauea volcano since May. Flowing lava and toxic gases has led to thousands of residents evacuating residential areas and destroyed homes.
According to AccuWeather meteorologist Jim Andrews, there is a “low” chance that downpours associated with the passing hurricane hitting steaming lava would cause acid rain.
