The latest storm Hone is the No. 1 storm to form this year's storm season in the central Pacific region. Hone is also the first storm to form in the central Pacific since 2019.
It is forecast that Hurricane Hone is moving towards Hawaii's Big Island area and will cause heavy rain, strong winds, dangerous seas and fire risk in Hawaii during the recovery process after one of the fires. The most destructive forest in America last year.
From the evening of August 24, Hawaii Governor Josh Green declared a state of emergency due to threats from Hurricane Hone and increased fire risk in the state. The emergency disaster relief phase will continue until August 26.
Storms continued to form during this year's Pacific hurricane season , but none of the seven storms in the eastern Pacific came close to Hawaii.
Tropical Storm Hone is about 500 km from Honolulu and moving at a speed of about 23 km/h, with maximum sustained winds of 105 km/h, according to the latest storm information from the US National Hurricane Center.
"The storm is expected to strengthen in the next 24 to 36 hours, with the intensity of Hurricane Hone peaking at near hurricane strength on August 25 to 26" - the storm bulletin stated.
The storm's strongest winds may last from late August 24 to August 25 as the storm moves near the south of the Big Island.
Strong winds have raised concerns about fire danger in some areas of Hawaii, especially where stronger winds are not accompanied by rain.
A red alert has been issued for the west and south coast areas of each island in the Hawaiian chain. Lahaina - the island devastated by a forest fire last year - is also on red alert.
The increased risk of wildfires is especially worrying because the drought in Hawaii this year is worse than last year's devastating wildfires. Wildfires in Maui last August killed more than 100 people and caused $6 billion in damage.
With Hone's rainfall, the fire weather is unlikely to be as severe as last year's fires, but if grass and trees catch fire, fires are at risk. Strong winds can fan flames and quickly spread to nearby locations.
At the time of last year's fires, about 15% of the state was experiencing moderate drought. As of August 20 of this year, moderate or higher drought had been recorded in 73% of Hawaii.
Storm forecasters say that storm Hone will strengthen from the end of August 25 to August 26 and could become a hurricane in a short time.
In addition to Hurricane Hone , Hawaii is facing the effects of another storm. Gilma was a level 3 hurricane from the evening of August 24. Storm Gilma formed in the eastern Pacific and is continuing to move west in the coming days. Hurricane Gilma is expected to weaken as it approaches Hawaii but could impact the state's weather next weekend.
