Hurricane Madeline Rapidly Intensifies; Could Threaten Hawaii Wednesday

Jonathan Belles
Published: August 29,2016
Hurricane Madeline rapidly intensified from Sunday into Monday morning, becoming the second named storm to become a hurricane in the central Pacific Ocean. Madeline may take a close swipe at parts of the Hawaiian Islands in the days ahead.
Madeline's estimated peak surface winds increased from a 50 mph tropical storm Sunday morning, to a 100 mph Category 2 hurricane Monday morning.
There will likely be an increase in high surf across Hawaii, but rain and wind may also be impacts depending on the exact track and intensity of the storm.
(MORE: Lester Could Also Threaten Hawaii)
Here's the latest from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center:

• Hurricane Madeline was located just under 700 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii.
• The system will move near or south of Hawaii on Wednesday (local time) and could be a minimal hurricane or tropical storm at that time.
• It's too soon to tell what kind of rain and wind impacts to expect in Hawaii, as that will depend on the exact track and intensity of Madeline. The Big Island seems most likely to see rain and wind impacts, if any.
• High surf is likely no matter what.
• Hawaii residents and visitors should be aware of the latest updates and make necessary preparations if Madeline targets the islands.

(MORE: Hurricane Season Outlook | Hurricane Central)

Current Storm Status

Projected Path

Hawaii County Civil Defense is already keeping an eye on both Madeline and Lester.
The Big Island's interim civil defense administrator Ed Teixeira told KHON-TV the county cleared culverts and trimmed trees ahead of Tropical Storm Darby in July, helping to limit the damage from that storm.
The county has a list of preparedness tips on its website.
In the end, Madeline may take a similar track as Iselle did in August 2014, only the second tropical storm of record to landfall on the Big Island.
As the Central Pacific Hurricane Center rightly points out, track uncertainties just three days out with central Pacific tropical cyclone are about 130 miles.
Given Madeline's hurricane-force winds only extended up to 25 miles from the center Monday morning, these uncertainties are important for the ultimate impacts in Hawaii.
Check back with us at weather.com for updates on this system.

MORE: Images of Hurricane Eyes