LIHUE — The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for the state on Thursday after the first named storm of the Central Pacific hurricane season, located east of Hawaii, was upgraded from a tropical depression. As of late
LIHUE — The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for the state on Thursday after the first named storm of the Central Pacific hurricane season, located east of Hawaii, was upgraded from a tropical depression.
As of late Thursday, Tropical Storm Wali was moving toward the northwest at 12 miles per hour and was about 995 miles southeast of Hilo — 1,310 miles southeast of Lihue.
Maximum sustained winds, at the time, were recorded near 45 miles per hour with tropical storm force winds extending at least 90 miles from the center of the storm.
“Wali will remain in an environment conducive for some further intensification for the next 24 hours,” a National Weather Service discussion read on Thursday. “Beyond 24 hours, increasing vertical wind shear is forecast to weaken Wali.”
Tropical Storm Wali is slated to gradually intensify over the next three days.
Maximum sustained winds from the storm are expected to reach 60 miles per hour before slowly weakening to tropical depression strength by Saturday.
“The moisture associated with (Tropical Storm Wali) is expected to move into the Big Island and Maui county Saturday night and then over the rest of the state Sunday,” according to NWS. “Rainfall intensity will increase with the added moisture content and muggy conditions will prevail. Locally, heavy rainfall will be possible as models show precipitable water levels over 2 inches.”
If the storm stays on its projected track, it is expected to dissipate by Monday.
Wali translates to “smooth, thin, as poi; fine, mashed, soft, powdery, supple, limber, as a dancer’s body.”
