Tropical Storm Moke is gathering strength and is poised to slam into the south of Hawaii’s islands on Saturday evening. The National Weather Service predicts heavy rains and strong winds as the storm advances west, with the Big Island expected to bear the brunt of the weather late Saturday into early Sunday.
This threat comes for the second week in a row for the region, which is still cleaning up from Hurricane Lala. That previous storm dumped massive amounts of rain on the islands, washing out roads and damaging parts of the electrical grid.
Forecasters are warning of flooding and mudslides, particularly in areas that were strongly affected by Hurricane Lala. Hawaii Island is now preparing for another round of flooding rain as Moke passes south of a direct hit.