Tropical Storm Watch 2014 Update: Hurricane Iselle to Hit Hawaii Thursday With Julio Not Far Behind [Maps]
Although Hawaii has not been hit by a hurricane or tropical storm in over 20 years, meteorologists say the Aloha state is on track to be smacked by an unprecedented dual set of hurricanes back-to-back.
The first, Hurricane Iselle, is expected to make landfall on the Big Island Thursday night. According to the Washington Post, the storm weakened a bit Thursday morning, and now has maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. Still, it is expected to be near hurricane status when it hits the Island.
The National Weather Service warned that Iselle will bring 5 to 8 inches of rain, strong winds gusts, flooding and sky high waves of up to 28 feet.
"We'll have power outages likely from all the wind, and maybe some flooding as well from all the heavy rain," predicts The Weather Channel meteorologist Ari Sarsalari, reports NBC News.
Iselle will then move through Honolulu around 9 a.m. local time on Friday.
Right behind Iselle is Hurricane Julio, which strengthened Wednesday night into a category two storm and contained maximum sustained winds of 105 mph as of Thursday morning, BBC reports.
Weather experts predict that it will strike within 48 hours following Iselle. As a result, most areas in Hawaii has been placed under a tropical storm watch or warning.
"We are gearing up for very heavy rains, possibly tropical storm force winds or worse, and strong surf," said National Weather Service meteorologist Anthony Reynes on Wednesday, USA Today reports. "We are hoping the event is on the tropical storm level, not the hurricane level."
Fortunately, the size and terrain of the Big Island would help weaken Iselle into a tropical storm as it passes Maui and Oahu, said National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Cantin.
"The volcanoes on the Big Island will do a number on the system," he said, according to BBC.
To prepare for the storms, the state government has encouraged residents to make an emergency plan, while many people have been buying bottled water and supplies.
According to Kevin Roth, a meteorologist for The Weather Channel, the double hurricane system would set a new record in Hawaii, which hasn't been hit by a tropical storm or hurricane since 1992. That year, Hurricane Iniki killed six people and leveled over 1,400 homes in Kauai, reports the Associated Press.
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!