Hurricane Hone passes Hawaii, dumping enough rain to ease wildfire fears

HONOLULU – Hurricane Hone passed just south of Hawaii early Sunday, dumping enough rain for the National Weather Service to cancel its red flag warnings that strong winds could cause wildfires in drier parts of the archipelago’s islands.

Hone had maximum winds of 80 mph (130 kph), according to a 2 a.m. advisory from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu, and was moving westward near the southern tip of the Big Island, close enough to lash the coast with tropical-storm-force winds and dump up to a foot (30 centimeters) or more of rain on the windward and southeast-facing slopes of the Big Island, with higher amounts possible in the region.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Gilma strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane on Saturday night, but remains located about 1,480 miles (2,380 kilometers) east of Hilo and is forecast to weaken to a depression before reaching Hawaii,

“Hone’s primary threats to the state remain the potential for heavy rainfall leading to flooding, damaging winds and large waves along east-facing shorelines,” the weather service warned early Sunday.

Some Big Island beach parks were closed because of dangerously high surf and officials were preparing to open shelters if necessary, Big Island Mayor Mitch Roth said.

Hone, whose name means “sweet and gentle” in Hawaiian, brought to mind last year’s deadly fires on Maui, which were fanned by hurricane-force winds. Red flag warnings are issued when warm temperatures, very low humidity and strong winds combine to increase fire danger. Much of the archipelago is already abnormally dry or in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM).

“They need to take this seriously,” said Calvin Endo, a Waianae Coast neighborhood board member who lives in Makaha, a leeward neighborhood on Oahu prone to wildfires.

The Aug. 8, 2023, wildfire that swept through the historic town of Lahaina was the deadliest in the United States in more than a century, killing 102 people. Dry, overgrown grasses and drought helped spread the fire.

For years, Endo has been concerned about dry brush on the private property behind his home. He has taken matters into his own hands by clearing the brush himself, but he is concerned about nearby homes that abut overgrown vegetation.

“All it takes is fire and wind to have another Lahaina,” Endo warned Saturday. “I can see the wind has already started to blow.”

The cause of the Lahaina fire is still under investigation, but it may have been sparked by bare power lines and leaning power poles toppled by high winds. The state’s two electric companies, Hawaiian Electric and Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, were prepared to shut off power if necessary to reduce the chance of damaged power lines sparking fires, but later announced that safety measures were not necessary after Hone passed 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.