Guillermo Prompts Flood Advisory, Hilda Holds Steady

Image: CPHC Guillermo 5 p.m. track

***Updated at 9:15 p.m.***

Moisture from Guillermo has prompted a Flood Advisory on the Big Island. On radar, heavy rain is falling in the area of Puuanahulu.

The advisory is posted until 11:45 p.m. this evening. The area of heavy rain was stationary. Other areas that are included in the advisory are Waikoloa Village and Puako.

***Updated at 5:00 p.m. to include information from the NHC and CPHC on Guillermo and Hilda.***

Guillermo is now a tropical depression as of the 5:00 p.m. Central Pacific Hurricane Center update.

As a result, all Tropical Storm Watches and Warnings have been dropped. The High Surf Advisory has been extended through 6:00 a.m. Friday morning.

The system has maximum sustained winds of 35 mph and is moving west at 9 mph. A gradual turn to the west-northwest is expected tonight with this forward movement continuing through dissipation of the system expected on Saturday.

Guillermo is currently located 145 miles NNW of Hilo, 140 miles N of Kailua-Kona and 195 miles N of South Point. The system is forecasted to pass 60 miles north of Maui tonight and within 30 miles north of Oahu and Kauai late tonight and Friday.

Guillermo will bring scattered showers over the state mostly to the windward slopes. East southeast winds will build behind the system on Friday, and shift to trade winds Saturday into early next week.

Image: NHC Hilda 5 p.m. track

Hilda is holding steady with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph as of the 5 p.m National Hurricane Center update.

The storm, located 1440 miles ESE of Hilo, 1495 miles ESE of Kailua-Kona and 1460 miles ESE of South Point, continues to move W at 14 mph. This motion should continue through early tomorrow before the system veers west-northwest late Friday evening and slows down.

Hilda is still quite compact and small however tropical storm force winds extend twice as far as they did on the last update, now 60 miles from the center.

The system is expected to be over warm seas without significant vertical wind shear. This is expected to lead to strengthening with Hilda becoming a hurricane in the next 24 hours.

TS Hilda / Image: NHC 2 p.m. August 6, 2015

***Updated at 2:20 p.m. to include information from the National Hurricane Center’s 2 p.m. update. ***

Hilda is holding steady with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph with higher gusts. The storm, located less than 1500 miles ESE of Hilo rapidly increased in strength and organization over the last 12 hours as it continues to move W at 13 mph. This motion should continue through early tomorrow before the system veers west-northwest late Friday evening.

Image: Guillermo near the islands and Hilda in the bottom right corner NWS satellite at 2 p.m.

Hilda is quite compact and small especially compared to our last system, Guillermo. Tropical storm force winds extend just 35 miles from the center.

The track has been shifted left compared to the previous forecast track. In the short term, Hilda is expected to gain strength becoming a hurricane by Friday. Two to three days from now Hilda is expected to begin a weakening trend as it encounters unfavorable conditions for further development.

A 2 p.m. update was not released by the CPHC. Not much has changed with regards to the forecast. See below for forecast details.

***Updated at 11:05 a.m. to include information from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the National Hurricane Center’s 11 a.m. updates. ***

Tropical Storm Guillermo is barely holding together as it approaches the Hawaiian Islands. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center repors that the storm was 95 miles northeast of Kahului, as of 11 a.m.

Moving in a west direction, Guillermo is reportedly traveling at about 10 miles per hour with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph.

Forecasts are prediciting that Tropical Storm Guillermo will become a remnant low over the next 48 hours as it continues to weaken. Vertical shear, along with dry airmass, will contribute to the weakening of the storm.

Tropical Storm Guillermo is expected to pass 60 miles north of Maui late Thursday, 20 miles north of Oahu Thursday night and near Kauai Friday morning.

Just outside of the Central Pacific, the National Hurricane Center is closely monitoring Tropical Storm Hilda. As of 11 a.m., the storm was strengthening quickly as it headed towards the Central Pacific, traveling at about 12 mph in a west direction.

Tropical Storm Hilda, as of 11 a.m., was 1,510 miles east-southeast of Hilo

NHC reports that Tropical Storm Hilda’s wind pattern increased rapidly in organization over the past 12 hours. Satellite imagery shows a tiny tropical cylone with a nearly symmetric dense overcast and a prominent band over the northern half of the circulation. A low level ring of convection suggests that the inner core of the storm is already well-established.

It’s is expected that Tropical Storm Hilda will continue its movement to the west and turn west-northwest in about 36 hours. The storm is expected to take a northwest turn prior to reaching the Big Island. When Tropical Storm Hilda makes the turn, NHC reports that the storm should decrease in forward speed.

***Updated at 8:15 a.m. to include information from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the National Hurricane Center’s 8 a.m. updates. ***

Tropical Storm Guillermo is moving past the Big Island. As of the Central Pacific Hurricane Center’s 8 a.m. advisory, the storm was about 140 miles east-northeast of Kahului, Maui.

National Hurricane Center image, as of 5 a.m.

Elsewhere in the Pacific, Tropical Storm Hilda has formed. The National Hurricane Center is currently watching the storm, located 1,575 miles east-southeast of Hilo.

Tropical Storm Hilda formed overnight from Tropical Depression 10-E with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour. The storm is expected to continue on its current path through Thursday before turning to the west-northwest on Friday.

Strengthening is forecast over the next 48 hours. NHC expects that the storm will reach hurricane strength by Saturday.

***Original story posted at 5:49 a.m.***

Guillermo is rapidly weakening and should become a tropical depression some time later today.

As of the Central Pacific Hurricane Center’s 5 a.m. Guillermo update, the center was located 145 miles NNE of Hilo, 175 miles NE of Kailua-Kona and 210 miles NNE of South Point.

Central Pacific Hurricane Center image as of 5 a.m.

The High Surf Warning has been extended through 6:00 p.m. Thursday for east-facing shores. Wave heights of 10 to 15 foot faces are expected today and tonight. Expect ocean water occasionally sweeping across portions of beaches. Very strong breaking waves and strong longshore rip currents. Breaking waves may occasionally impact harbors making navigating the harbor channel dangerous.

Otherwise, there are no other alerts posted for the Big Island with regards to Guillermo. Moisture is still expected for the windward side of the Big Island today. Some of that rainfall could be heavy at times.

Guillermo and Hilda / Image: NHC 5 a.m. August 6, 2015

We are also now tracking a tropical storm in the Eastern Pacific. Overnight Hilda strengthened from a tropical depression to a weak tropical storm with maximum sustained winds currently at 40 mph. According to the National Hurricane Center, the system is forecasted to become a hurricane Saturday or Sunday.

Hilda is currently moving west near 13 mph. Tropical storm force winds extend 35 miles from the center. The track currently has the system eventually moving northwest and toward the Hawaiian Islands.

Guillermo and Hilda / Image: NHC 5 a.m. August 6, 2015