Warning over catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding in Hawaii

Hawaii’s Big Island is bracing for flash flooding (Picture: Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chroni)

A warning has been issued on Big Island in Hawaii over concerns about Hurricane Nolo gaining strength.

US NOAA has sent an alert for possible catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding this weekend.

The National Hurricane Center has said that three feet of rain could be dumped on Hawaii, with Nolo having maximum sustained winds of up to 80mph.

Hurricane Nolo is a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale and is currently 240 miles south of South Point.

It’s expected to pass very close to the Big Island, home to 210,000, on Saturday, but the damage could be greater if it takes a more northerly track.

Mudslides also present a threat due to the island’s steep terrain, which could also mean catastrophic flash flooding.

The region has already been hit by two storms this season (Picture: Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chroni)

Hawaii has faced four tropical threats this season, despite not usually seeing much activity.

Hurricanes Lala and Lowell have already impacted the island, with at least one person left dead in August after a ‘terrible car accident’ during Lala.

Lala brought with it winds of up to 91mph, dumped 25 inches of rain on the island, and whipped up a 3ft storm surge, a change in sea level.

More than 60,000 were left without power and two homes in Naalehu have been swept away by ‘life-threatening’ floods, Honolulu-Star Advertiser reported at the time.

Only 19 hurricanes have passed within 100 miles of Hawaii, most during periods of El Niño, a weather system that blows warm ocean water west.

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