Hawaii is in the crosshairs again as yet another tropical cyclone approaches the Aloha State.
The system, now Tropical Storm Nolo, is forecast to strengthen to a hurricane by Thursday night and could become a major hurricane over the next couple of days, lashing the island chain with heavy rain, rough surf and storm surge, the National Hurricane Center said.
Forecasters hint that heavy rain, floods and mudslides will be the most dangerous aspect of the now 50-mph storm, currently 460 miles from Honolulu.
"This rainfall may produce catastrophic life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain," the hurricane center said in a forecast late Wednesday night Hawaii time.
A forecast from AccuWeather says that as much as 55
inches of rain is possible from Nolo, which could rival Hawaii's all-time highest rainfall total from a tropical cyclone. The record now belongs to Hurricane Lane, which dumped 58 inches on the Big Island in 2018.
Doyle Rice and Dinah Voyles Pulver are national correspondents with USA TODAY, focusing on weather and climate. Reach them at drice@usatoday.com and dpulver@usatoday.com.
Why does Hawaii keep getting hit with storms?
07:07 AM ET, September 24 2026, Dinah Voyles Pulver and Doyle RiceNolo will be the seventh tropical system to bring impacts to the islands in the 2026 hurricane season.
El Niño in the Pacific Ocean tends to favor storm formation in the region.
Hurricane conditions could start by Friday night
06:55 AM ET, September 24 2026, Dinah Voyles Pulver and Doyle RiceForecasters at the National Hurricane Center said that hurricane conditions could reach the Big Island, where a hurricane watch was in place, by Friday night.
“Residents and visitors should take this threat very seriously," said Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday. The Big Island also could see hurricane-force winds surpassing 75 miles per hour on Friday and Saturday, the agency said.
Forecasters believe this storm could bring extreme amounts of rain with catastrophic flooding possible on Friday and Saturday for the Big Island, emergency officials said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tropical Storm Nolo could bring all-time record rainfall in Hawaii: Updates
