Tropical storm Moke threatens Hawaii with heavy rain

Tropical Storm Moke is bearing down on Hawaii just days after Hurricane Lala, threatening up to a foot of rain on the Big Island even as the storm's center passes south of land. With 45 mph winds and saturated ground from last week's flooding, forecasters warn of flash floods, mudslides, and a rare back-to-back tropical threat driven by El Niño.

As of early Saturday, Tropical Storm Moke sat roughly 545 miles southeast of Hilo, Hawaii, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, moving west-northwest at 8 mph, according to CNN. The National Hurricane Center expects it to remain a tropical storm as its center tracks well south of the Big Island, yet close enough to deliver heavy rain and gusty winds to communities still clearing debris from Lala.

Key Takeaways

• Tropical Storm Moke follows Hurricane Lala by just one week, marking an unusually active stretch for Hawaii.
• The storm's center should pass south of the Big Island, but heavy rainfall remains the primary threat.
• El Niño has weakened Hawaii's typical ocean-cooling barrier that usually weakens approaching storms.
• Areas hit by Lala's torrential rain and landslides face renewed flash-flood and mudslide risks.
• Forecasters say Hawaii may see a third close approach this season, well above the typical one per year.

What Is Tropical Storm Moke's Current Track?

Meteorologists are tracking Moke across the Pacific Basin alongside Hurricane Lala and other developing systems, with forecast cones and spaghetti models updated through August 22, according to The Weather Channel. Moke is forecast to remain a tropical storm rather than intensify into a hurricane.

The storm's predicted path keeps the center offshore, passing well to the south of Hawaii's Big Island. That distance reduces direct wind impacts compared with Lala, but outer rain bands can still soak windward and southeastern slopes, exactly where Lala dropped more than three feet of rain in spots last week.

Why Does a Second Storm Matter So Soon After Lala?

Hurricane Lala intensified just south of the Big Island before dumping torrential rain that triggered damaging landslides and flash flooding. The storm cut off small communities, destroyed homes, and damaged critical infrastructure. At least one fatality has been blamed on Lala, CNN reported.

Ground that absorbed Lala's deluge has little capacity left. Even moderate additional rainfall can restart flooding in steep terrain and urban low spots. The New York Times reports that Tropical Storm Moke threatens to bring up to a foot of rain to Hawaii, adding fresh urgency to recovery efforts across the island chain.

How Has El Niño Dismantled Hawaii's Hurricane Force Field?

In most years, cooler ocean waters and hostile upper-level winds weaken Pacific hurricanes before they reach Hawaii, a pattern so reliable it has been described as an anti-hurricane force field. El Niño is changing that calculus, boosting sea surface temperatures east, southeast, and south of the islands where storms form and approach.

The developing Super El Niño also increases storm formation in the Eastern and Central Pacific, raising the odds that systems track near Hawaii. Matthew Rosencrans, lead hurricane season forecaster at the National Weather Service, told CNN that storms passing within 300 nautical miles of Hawaii typically average one per season, yet Moke marks the second such close call in two weeks, with a third likely possible.

Rosencrans called the back-to-back threat "very bizarre," attributing it to steering currents aligned to push storms toward Hawaii. Those currents could shift quickly, offering relief, but for now the state faces a compounding weather crisis that intersects with broader questions about how climate patterns reshape disaster preparedness, a theme we often explore in Future Tech & AI Wonders.

What Should Hawaii Residents Watch for Next?

Officials and residents should monitor updated forecast cones and rainfall totals as Moke approaches this weekend. While Hawaii's streak of zero hurricane landfalls since 1992's Hurricane Iniki continues, CNN notes that landfall is not required for catastrophic damage, as Lala proved.

El Niño's dampening effect on Atlantic hurricane activity offers no comfort in the Pacific. For Hawaii, the lesson of August 2026 is clear: two tropical systems in two weeks can overwhelm infrastructure, saturate hillsides, and strain emergency response even when centers stay offshore.