Nolo threatens Hawaii with flash floods, extreme surf — PHOTOS

Nolo threatens Hawaii with flash floods, extreme surf — PHOTOS By Eugene Garcia The Associated Press September 25, 2026 - 4:59 pm HILO, Hawaii — Residents of the Big Island are bracing for flash floods and extreme surf as Hurricane Nolo churns south of the archipelago over the weekend. Forecasters say the storm could strengthen to a large hurricane by Saturday, with maximum sustained winds already reaching 105 mph on Friday. The cyclone’s center was situated roughly 185 miles south of Hawaii’s southernmost point. Rainfall projections for the Big Island range from 15 inches to as much as 25 inches in some areas, a reduction from an earlier outlook that had warned of up to 35 inches. “People are going to privation to benignant of structure successful spot connected the Big Island, beryllium successful their harmless place, surely by aboriginal today, tonight, good into Saturday,” Michael Brennan, manager of the National Hurricane Center, said Friday. “Don’t task retired if you don’t person to into the unsafe flooding environment, but besides precocious winds. We tin person trees and powerfulness lines down.” Heavy rain also threatens the other Hawaiian islands, with forecasters warning Maui could experience intense rainfall and the potential for life‑threatening flooding and mudslides. On the Big Island, crews spent Friday constructing berms to channel water and shift large debris ahead of the heaviest rain, according to Erika Kapu, Hawaii programme manager for the humanitarian nonprofit CORE. CORE and its partner organizations spent the week packing and shipping supplies such as camp stoves and hygiene items by air cargo from Oahu to the Big Island for a relief hub that has operated since August’s Hurricane Lala. State officials urged residents to assemble emergency kits, and the governor issued an emergency proclamation that activated more than 230 Hawaii National Guard members. Schools were closed in several communities. Hawaii County officials on the Big Island advised those in flood‑prone zones to consider seeking shelter at designated sites or other locations. “We promote everyone to implicit their preparations, enactment connected to authoritative alerts and upwind updates, and unafraid harmless structure earlier flooding strikes,” Mayor Kimo Alameda said in a statement. The most intense rainfall from Nolo is expected over the same southeastern sector of the Big Island that felt the impact of Hurricane Lala, where the ground remains saturated from earlier precipitation. Storm surge could reach 1 to 3 feet, generating large, hazardous waves and coastal flooding, the hurricane center noted. Hawaiian Electric, the state’s primary utility, said crews that had been helping restore power in Kauai after this month’s Hurricane Lowell would return to Oahu, Maui and the Big Island in anticipation of the storm. Across the Big Island, residents and tourists were busy preparing. In Hilo, where light rain fell Friday, people filled bags with soil and gravel at Francis Wong Stadium, where authorities had established a soil‑organization center. Dean Taise observed water beginning to enter his driveway from the street and decided to place a few sandbags ahead of possible flooding. “They say, hole for the worst, right? Hope for the best,” Taise said. Governor Josh Green has requested an emergency disaster declaration for four Hawaii counties.