For the second week in a row, the island of Hawaii, also known as the Big Island, faces the threat of an increasingly intense storm. Published August 22, 2026 August 22, 2026 Tropical Storm Moke is moving toward Hawaii, bringing gusty winds and heavy rain just a week after the islands faced similar conditions from Hurricane Lala. until the next morning. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend list At 11 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time (9:00 p.m. GMT), Moke was about 684 kilometers, or 425 miles, south of Hilo, a city on the east coast of Hawaii Island. It was moving west-northwest at 12 mph (19 km/h). The United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that the storm’s maximum sustained winds were about 85 km/h (50 mph). Moke, like Lala, is predicted to spare the Big Island a potentially disastrous direct hit. But the island is still recovering from Lala, a Category 1 storm that caused heavy flooding and power outages. At least one person died in last weekend’s storm. Lala came close enough to Hawaii Island to dump more than 1,000 mm (39 in) of rain in some places, causing rivers to overflow their banks. The strong winds also bent tall palm trees and downed power lines, forcing nearly 130,000 utility customers to lose power. Green and other state officials have urged people to prepare for Moke by restocking food, medicine and other necessities ahead of the storm. “It could certainly have a big impact because we’ve already been hit hard,” Green said in a video statement. “We’re putting in all kinds of additional equipment and people. I’ve also authorized 100 rooms, hotel rooms, so people can go in case they don’t have enough services or protection or security.” Green added that while power had been restored to most of Hawaii Island following Lala, some remote areas were still experiencing outages. Power is expected to be fully restored by September 8. After passing Hawaii Island overnight, Moke is projected to continue heading west near the islands into the early hours of Tuesday, according to Casey Oswant, a meteorologist with the U.S. National Weather Service’s Honolulu office. It will bring approximately 5 to 10 inches (130 mm to 250 mm) of rain over the next two days on the southeast and windward sides of the Big Island. Some isolated areas could receive up to 15 inches (380 mm). Meanwhile, East Maui is likely to receive 3 to 6 inches (76 mm to 150 mm), with smaller amounts of precipitation expected across the rest of the island chain. Governor Green warned that heavy rain is unlikely to end Moke. “Everyone be very careful,” he said. “This storm will be followed by another storm front approximately a week later, and we continue to see the impacts of these major weather fronts that have hit Hawaii.”
