Tropical Storm Moke was swirling past Hawaii on Sunday, close enough to dump heavy rain on Big Island communities still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Lala, according to the Associated Press. The storm's center was located about 310 miles south of Hilo on Sunday morning, with top sustained winds of around 45 mph, as reported by The Independent and others. Later reports, including from Al Jazeera, placed Moke's center about 320 miles south-southwest of Hilo by midday, with winds near 40 mph.

Despite the relatively modest winds, officials and forecasters stressed that the primary danger from Moke would be rainfall over areas already saturated by last weekend's hurricane. "The real impact will be the rainfall in places where last weekend’s hurricane downed trees and power lines, caused mudslides and damaged roads and bridges," the National Hurricane Center was reported as saying by The Associated Press.

Storm Forecast and Expected Impacts

According to forecasts carried by the majority of the outlets, Moke was expected to produce between 5 and 10 inches of rain across the Big Island, with up to 15 inches in isolated places. Eastern Maui could receive up to 6 inches, while other islands were expected to see an inch or two, reported The Associated Press. Some sources, including CBS News, described eastern Maui seeing 3 to 6 inches, while others like the UPI said the rainfall totals for the Big Island were 5 to 10 inches, with maximum amounts of 15 inches.

The National Hurricane Center warned that the rainfall could spark "life-threatening flooding and mudslides for the windward and southeast slopes," particularly in steep terrain and over areas hit by Lala, as cited by CBS News and others. Officials also expressed concerned about flash flooding and mudslides, especially because many waterways and drainage channels remained clogged with debris left behind by Lala, reported al.com and similar outlets.

The Big Island was expected to bear the brunt of Moke's rain and winds as the storm moved westward, burning south of the island chain, just as it had with Hurricane Lala. While Moke was not forecast to make a direct hit, the storm was still expected to produce enough to cause significant challenges.

Aftermath of Hurricane Lala

A week after Hurricane Lala brought widespread Damage to Hawaii, communities were still cleaning up and restoring services. The northeastern coast of the Big Island recorded the heaviest total rainfall from Lala at 43.54 inches, according to the weather service. Across the state, more than 6,700 customers remained without electricity on Sunday, according to poweroutage.us, as reported by The Associated Press and other outlets. Earlier in the week, the number had been higher: Al Jazeera reported that nearly 130,000 utility customers lost power because of Lala, while a Los Angeles Times report put Saturday's figure at about 9,000 customers on the Big Island alone.

Additionally, at least two deaths linked to Hurricane Lala had been reported in Hawaii as of Sunday, according to The Independent and The Associated Press. Some sources only confirmed one storm-related death, but the higher figure was carried by most outlets.

Officials urge preparation

Hawaii Governor Josh Green and other state officials held a news conference ahead of Moke, urging residents to prepare by restocking food, medicine and other essentials. The governor also authorized 100 hotel rooms for people to use when needed, according to Al Jazeera and UPI News. In a statement, Governor Green said, "We’re pre-positioning all kinds of additional equipment and people. I’ve also authorised 100 rooms, hotel.." as reported by Al Jazeera. UPI News additionally reported, quoting Governor Green: "I've authorized 100 hotel rooms for people to be away from the region as needed." Governor Green also said power was expected to be fully restored by September 8, and he asked for a federal emergency declaration covering both storms, as noted by UPI News and CBS News.

Local officials shared similar warnings. Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda said in a social media post that residents "should stay off the roads and shelter in place" as a precaution, reported India Today. Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen stated, "Recent impacts from Tropical Storm Lala mean that even light to moderate rain and wind could trigger flooding, debris, downed trees, roadway issues and power outages." He also acknowledged the difficulty of another storm, saying, "We know many in our community are experiencing storm fatigue and still recovering from last weekend’s weather system," as reported by CBS News.

mixed forecast and community response

Despite the imminent challenges, forecasters indicated that Moke would have less severe impacts than Lala. As Casey Oswanta with the National Weather Service in Honolulu told The Independent, "There will still be impacts, especially to the windward and southeast sides of the Big Island, but it will probably be a little bit more limited than what we saw with Lala." This sentiment was repeated across outlets, noting that Moke was expected to peak on Saturday and weaken on Sunday, and the center of the Storm passed south of the Big Island later in the day before passing south of the smaller islands.

Local residents also reported feeling uneasy with the forecast. Tiffany Edwards Hunt, a teacher in Keaau on the east side of the Big Island, said everything from the thought of more rain in communities hit by raging floods: "There's definitely tension in the air." These remarks were captured by The Associated Press, The Independent, and several other outlets.

More Development in the Eastern Pacific

Meanwhile, in the eastern Pacific, Tropical Storm Iselle formed on Sunday, adding another weather event to monitor. According to reports, Iselle had top sustained winds of 45 mph and was located about 595 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula, as reported by the NBC. Others, like India Today, said winds were 85 kph and the distance from Baja was 860 kilomn. The National Hurricane Center said is could become a hurricane in a day or two and could produce strong swells on Baja's western coast. El Niño conditions were cited by CBS News as a factor in the hurricane season.