Hawaii is under threat from another hurricane over the weekend after a tropical depression re-formed south of the island chain.
The depression, which has winds of 35 mph (56 kilometers per hour), is expected to intensify into a Category 2 storm with winds of 110 mph as it approaches the Big Island of Hawaii on Saturday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Heavy rain is expected to begin in eastern Hawaii on Wednesday.
“Rainfall totals exceeding one foot could trigger catastrophic, life-threatening flooding and mudslides,” hurricane center forecasters Larry Kelly and John Canjalosi wrote in an analysis.
RELATED: Hurricane Polo becomes one of the strongest storms to hit Mexico’s coast in 2026
El Niño produces unusually warm waters between Mexico and Hawaii, fueling a series of powerful hurricanes and typhoons this year. So far, Hawaii has been threatened by at least five tropical systems, including Hurricane Lowell, which prompted warnings for Oahu and Kauai earlier this month, and Lala, which made landfall just a few miles from the Big Island in August.
The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency posted on Facebook late Tuesday night warning residents to prepare for flooding. The US island state has been battered by tropical storms and hurricanes as well as the Kono depression since last winter.
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