Hawaii is bracing for another round of tropical weather, with meteorologists tracking a fresh system in the Pacific just days after the islands were battered by a hurricane. The renewed threat comes while parts of the state are still dealing with the aftermath of the last storm, raising the prospect of a second bout of heavy weather before recovery is complete.
The recent damage was significant. Last weekend, parts of Hawaii were hammered by Hurricane Lala, a storm powerful enough to leave a lasting mark on the islands. Forecasters described it as a serious event, and the rainfall totals it produced put it among the more punishing systems to strike the state this season.
The Big Island bore the brunt of Lala's rain. Some areas there received 40 inches of rain, an enormous amount that overwhelmed the landscape and communities in its path. Rainfall of that magnitude in a short span is the kind that triggers flooding and leaves lasting damage well after the skies clear.
That deluge translated into real destruction on the ground. A lot of homes were damaged as Lala moved through, adding to the toll for residents of the Big Island. The scale of the home damage is part of why the arrival of another system so soon is being watched so closely by forecasters and residents alike.
Now attention has shifted to a new tropical system that is in the process of developing. Meteorologists say it is tropical depression 2C, and it is likely to strengthen into Tropical Storm Moki over the next 24 hours. That would give the region a named storm to track just as it was beginning to move past the previous one.
There is, however, some encouraging news in the forecast. The models are keeping the developing system south of Hawaii, which would spare the islands a direct hit if the track holds. A path that stays offshore to the south would significantly reduce the potential for the kind of damage Lala inflicted.
Even so, the storm is expected to pass close by. Forecasters say it will make its closest approach to Hawaii likely on Sunday afternoon and evening into early Monday. That timing means the islands are not fully in the clear, and residents will be watching the system's track carefully through the weekend as it draws near.