Tropical Storm Hone to bring heavy rain and strong winds to Hawaii

Tropical Storm Hone drew near the islands Saturday with breezes that were expected to intensify and increase the wildfire risk for drier parts of the state.

As of 11 p.m. EDT and 5 p.m. local time Saturday, Hone was centered 125 miles southeast of Hilo, Hawaii, with maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu reported. It was moving west at 14 mph, and was forecast to remain just below hurricane strength when it peaks Sunday and Monday, which consists of maximum sustained winds of 74 mph.

A tropical storm warning was in effect Saturday for the Big Island, according to the hurricane center. Tropical storm conditions were forecast to begin as early as Saturday night on the Big Island and continue through Sunday.

The August storm has evoked memories of the powerful hurricane south of Hawaii that helped fuel a deadly wildfire that destroyed Maui's Lahaina town during a drought last summer, but the National Weather Service said Hone was not creating the same conditions.

Hone, which means "sweet and soft" in Hawaiian and is pronounced hoe-NEH, was expected to bring sustained winds of 20 to 40 miles per hour and gusts near 60 mph, weather officials said.

The storm is forecast to bring totals of 6 to 12 inches of rain to windward and southeast facing slopes of Hawaii's Big Island between Saturday and Monday, according to the hurricane center, along with up to 4 inches of rain for the windward areas of the smaller islands.

Swells generated by Hone were "likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip currents."

A red flag fire warning was issued for the leeward sides of all islands through 6 p.m. on Saturday. The National Weather Service issues the alert when warm temperatures, very low humidity and stronger winds combine to raise fire dangers.

"They gotta take this thing serious," said Calvin Endo, a Waianae Coast neighborhood board member who lives in Makaha, a leeward Oahu neighborhood prone to wildfires.

Most of the archipelago is already abnormally dry or in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The winds are expected to be strongest where they blow downslope from higher terrain, over headlands and through passes, the hurricane center advised.

The state's two power companies, Hawaiian Electric and the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, said they would be monitoring conditions this weekend and ready to shut off power if necessary to reduce the chance that live, damaged power lines could start fires.

Firefighters remained on the scene of a small blaze that started Friday night in Waikoloa, on the dry side of the Big Island, according to Big Island Mayor Mitch Roth. It was under control and did not cause any injuries or damage.

"We're expecting to have bands of rain come through the day," Roth said from Hilo, on the island's east side, where it was raining.

The island was getting enough rain later Saturday to cancel its red flag warning, though a warning remained in effect for the other islands, said Ian Morrison, a weather service meteorologist in Honolulu.

Officials were closing some Big Island beach parks in anticipation of dangerously high surf and preparing to open shelters if needed, he added.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority told travelers it's still safe to come to the islands but recommended postponing outdoor activities.

The central Pacific hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. The NOAA this year forecast one to four tropical cyclones for the central Pacific region, which is below the average of four or five. A tropical cyclone includes tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes. A tropical cyclone becomes a tropical storm when its maximum sustained winds reach 39 mph, and a hurricane when they reach 74 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Gilma in the eastern Pacific had maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, making it a major Category 3 storm.

Gilma was trailing behind Hone, located about 1,530 miles east of Hilo and moving west at 9 mph. It was expected to remain a hurricane through the weekend, but will likely weaken, forecasters said.

No coastal watches or warnings were in effect with Gilma. The system strengthened to tropical storm status last Sunday and has grown more powerful since then.