Hurricane Nolo is slowly strengthening as it approaches Hawaii as a potential “catastrophic” rainmaker, the National Hurricane Center says.
It’s threatening to dump up to 3 feet of rain on Hawaii’s Big Island, enough to cause “catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding,” the center warns, and is expected to bring heavy rainfall to the Big Island for the next several days.
Nolo strengthened into a hurricane on Thursday night over the Pacific Ocean after hitting tropical storm strength Wednesday.
Maps show Hurricane Nolo’s path
Nolo had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph as of late Thursday night local time — storms need 74 mph top winds to reach hurricane status on Saffir-Simpson scale. The Miami-based hurricane center said “additional strengthening is forecast, and Nolo is expected to become a major hurricane on Saturday.” Major hurricanes have winds of at least 111 mph.
Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 40 miles from Nolo’s core and tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 105 miles.
Nolo’s center was some 430 miles south-southeast of Honolulu and 240 miles south of South Point, which is on the Big Island and is the southern-most point in the entire U.S. It was moving north-northeast at 5 mph.
Nolo is expected to approach the Big Island on Friday and Saturday, though its center is forecast to stay “well south of the main Hawaiian Islands,” the center noted.
The projected path of Hurricane Nolo in the Pacific Ocean. Sept. 24, 2026.
NOAA
The Big Island was under a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning, and a tropical storm watch was in effect for Maui County.
“Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin by late Friday in the warning area, with hurricane conditions possible by
early Saturday. … Tropical storm conditions are possible in the tropical storm watch area beginning on Saturday,” the center said.
Hurricane Nolo as seen from a satellite south of Hawaii early on Friday, eastern time.
NOAA / National Hurricane Center
Nolo is expected to bring around 15 to 30 inches of rain to the eastern and southern portions of the Big Island, with up to 35 inches possible in some areas. That much rain could trigger “catastrophic life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain,” the hurricane center warned.
The Big Island’s western areas could see 5 to 8 inches of rain and 10 at most. For Maui, 4 to 8 inches are possible with as much as 15 in some spots. Those totals could also produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain, the center stressed. The rest of Hawaii is likely to get 1 to 3 inches and 6 at most, enough to set off isolated flooding.
Map shows the rain forecast through Tuesday morning, Sept. 29, for Hawaii.
CBS News
All state parks on the Big Island will be closed Thursday, and all state parks on Maui will be closed Friday because of the storm, the state’s Department of Land and Natural Resources said Thursday.
Map shows active tropical alerts for Hawaii as of Sept. 24, 2026.
CBS News
Nolo formed as another storm, Hurricane Polo, continued to swirl in the Pacific, off Mexico’s southwestern coast.
Map shows the Eastern Pacific tropical outlook.
CBS News
The latest storms add to an unsually active season in the Pacific. Earlier this month, Hurricane Lowell brought damaging winds and heavy rain to the western Hawaiian islands of Kauai and Niihau, bringing down trees, damaging roads and knocking out power for thousands.
Last month, Hurricane Lala washed away about 100 homes, triggered landslides and caused widespread power outages as it brushed past Hawaii.
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