Big Island Declares Emergency as Moke Passes South

The storm was forecast to make its closest pass late Saturday night into early Sunday, Hawaii time. What it actually did is not yet on the record.

Hawaii County Mayor C. Kimo Alameda declared a local state of emergency for the Big Island ahead of Tropical Storm Moke, warning of "an imminent danger or threat of an emergency or disaster," according to the emergency proclamation posted by the county.

The National Weather Service warned that Moke's rainfall "may produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides" on the windward and southeast portions of Hawaii Island, especially in steep terrain and in areas hit by Hurricane Lala a week earlier, the proclamation says.

One thing up front: as of publication, every number below is a forecast. The newest copy available from the Associated Press, PBS NewsHour, CBS News, the Los Angeles Times and the Hawaii Tribune-Herald was filed before Moke's closest approach. No rainfall totals, outage counts, road or school closures, injuries or new evacuations from Moke had been reported.

The center was forecast to pass roughly 200 miles south of Hawaii Island late Saturday night into early Sunday — farther out than Lala, which tracked about 30 miles off the island, according to the Hawaii Tribune-Herald.

What was forecast

• Rainfall of 5 to 10 inches, locally up to 15 inches, over the windward and southeast slopes of the Big Island.
• East-northeast winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 55 mph, strongest over mountain ridges and gaps.
• A flood watch for the entire island of Hawaii, issued 3:06 a.m. HST Saturday and running until 6 p.m. HST Monday.
• A wind advisory for Kohala, Big Island Interior, South, Southeast and North, from noon Saturday until 6 p.m. HST Sunday.
• Swells generating life-threatening surf and rip currents along exposed east- and south-facing shores into the following week.

The county proclamation also cautions that flood-prone roads and low-lying areas may close, that urban areas may see more significant flooding from rapid runoff, and that winds of that strength can knock down power lines and cause outages.