Hurricane Nolo expected to unleash powerful winds and flash flooding on Hawaii

HILO, Hawaii — Rain began falling Saturday as Hurricane Nolo bore down on the Hawaiian Islands, with officials warning about the potential for flash floods, dangerous winds and extreme surf in areas still recovering from previous storms.

Nolo was churning very slowly south of the Big Island with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph. Its center was about 160 miles south of Hawaii’s southernmost point, and it was forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane through the weekend while traveling westward to the south of the islands.

While direct landfall by the storm’s center was not expected, forecasters said it could cause life-threatening flooding and mudslides, with parts of the Big Island expected to see rainfall totals up to 20 inches. Heavy rain also was expected on the other islands.

“Don’t venture out if you don’t have to into the dangerous flooding environment, but also high winds. We can have trees and power lines down,” said Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center.

The humanitarian nonprofit group CORE and other partners spent the week packing and shipping supplies like camp stoves and hygiene products by air cargo from Oahu to the Big Island for a community relief hub that…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business