Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Tropical duo to threaten Hawaii into Labor Day weekend

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist
August 30,2016; 8:11PM,EDT
 
 
Two tropical systems, Madeline and Lester, could pose hazards to Hawaii from the middle of the week into Labor Day weekend.
Hurricane Madeline is first in line to bring impacts to the Hawaiian Islands around midweek, with Hurricane Lester expected to follow on its heels around Labor Day weekend.

Madeline and Lester are both major hurricanes at this time and are expected to weaken by the time they reach Hawaii. However, both are expected to be either a strong tropical storm or category 1 hurricane when they make their closest approach to the islands.
If Madeline makes landfall as a hurricane, it will be the first to do so on the Big Island since records began.
Latest indications suggest that Madeline will continue its westward path before taking a slight jog to the south as it approaches the Big Island on Wednesday, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Ed Vallee.
On its approach, Madeline will kick up rough surf and rip currents, especially along the east-facing beaches.
At this time, the greatest threat for flooding downpours and gusty winds are expected to focus on eastern portions of the Big Island from Wednesday into Thursday. Sporadic power outages are possible.

The severity of the wind and rain associated with Madeline will largely depend on how close the storm tracks to the Big Island.
"Even if the center narrowly misses the Big Island to the south, heavy rain may still be a concern, especially on the north- and east-facing slopes of the mountains, as tropical moisture funnels in," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said.
More severe impacts would occur if the storm's track passed directly over the islands.
Although Madeline will depart late this week, the seas will have little time to settle down as Lester will be on its approach to the islands at the beginning of Labor Day weekend.
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Flooding problems could be much worse if Lester follows in Madeline's footsteps or tracks directly over the islands.
Another scenario is that Lester gets steered towards the north and west as it approaches the islands. In this case, northern portions of the Big Island, Maui, Molokai, Oahu and Kauai could be impacted by rain and gusty winds. A track too far to the north and west would bypass the islands completely.
"It is possible that one or both storms steer away from the islands with the only impacts being to swimmers and boaters from rough surf," Pydynowski said.

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