Coverage spread: 2 sources — 2 left
Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.
Where they agree
- Tropical Storm Moke is passing south of Hawaii without making direct landfall but is bringing heavy rain and wind, especially to the Big Island’s windward and southeast sides.
- Both sources cite the same rainfall forecast: 5-10 inches on the Big Island with up to 15 inches possible, 1-2 inches elsewhere, and higher totals in eastern Maui.
- Officials and forecasters agree the main danger is flooding and mudslides on ground already saturated from Hurricane Lala the prior weekend.
- Governor Josh Green and Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen are both urging residents to prepare, citing “storm fatigue” from back-to-back storms.
Where they differ
- CBS News details the federal request, reporting Green asked the White House for an emergency declaration covering both Lala and Moke, and notes Hawaii’s reactivation of its joint information center.
- The Guardian includes specific dollar figures from Green’s news conference — $43 million in Big Island infrastructure damage and $4.6 million in home damage from Lala — which CBS does not mention.
- The Guardian quotes NWS meteorologist Casey Oswant directly on the storm’s path and comparative severity to Lala, while CBS relies more on National Hurricane Center statements and Bissen’s remarks.
- CBS emphasizes historical context, noting no hurricane has made direct landfall in Hawaii since Iniki in 1992, a detail absent from The Guardian’s account.
Tropical Storm Moke is passing just south of Hawaii’s islands this weekend, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds to the Big Island and threatening flooding and mudslides on ground already saturated from Hurricane Lala a week earlier. Moke is not expected to make direct landfall, but forecasters warn its rainfall could still be life-threatening in areas hit hardest by Lala.
How strong is Tropical Storm Moke and where is it headed?
As of midday Saturday, Moke had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and was forecast to strengthen through the day, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is tracking south of the islands, delivering rain and wind to the Big Island Saturday night into Sunday before moving on a westward path near the rest of the chain through early Tuesday, according to Casey Oswant, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect as of early Saturday, but officials urged residents to keep monitoring the storm.
How much rain is expected?
The Big Island’s southeast and windward sides are forecast to get 5 to 10 inches of rain, with isolated spots seeing as much as 15 inches, according to the National Hurricane Center and NWS. Eastern Maui could see roughly 3 to 6 inches, with some estimates putting the high end at 4 inches. The rest of the islands are expected to get 1 to 2 inches. Oswant said impacts should be more limited than what Lala brought, though the National Hurricane Center warned the rain could still trigger dangerous rip currents, flooding and mudslides, particularly in steep terrain and areas still soaked from the prior storm.
How bad was Hurricane Lala, and why does that matter now?
Lala struck the islands as a Category 1 hurricane, with its eye passing about 30 miles off the Big Island’s coast and producing wind gusts over 80 mph. Some areas saw more than 3 feet of rain, including Kapalua in Maui County, which recorded 48 inches over the weekend. It was the first storm of its kind to hit Hawaii so directly since Hurricane Iniki in 1992. Governor Josh Green said Lala had already caused at least $43 million in damaged infrastructure on the Big Island and another $4.6 million in home damage, with the full toll still being calculated. Because the ground remains saturated and debris from Lala hasn’t been cleared, officials say even Moke’s lighter rainfall carries outsized risk of flooding, downed trees, road problems and power outages.
What are officials doing to prepare?
Hawaii reactivated its joint information center on Saturday, just days after shutting down the one used for Lala, to coordinate public updates through the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. Green and other state officials held a news conference urging residents to restock food, medicine and other essential supplies. Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said county departments have been preparing for Moke and asked residents to do the same, acknowledging that many people are dealing with “storm fatigue” while still recovering from Lala. The state has also asked the White House for a federal emergency declaration covering both storms, according to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, as Green works to secure additional resources for recovery and preparedness.
Why this matters
Back-to-back storms hitting the same vulnerable areas raise the stakes beyond what either system would cause alone. Officials are explicit that the danger from Moke isn’t really about its own strength — it’s a tropical storm, not a hurricane, and isn’t forecast to make landfall — but about hitting communities and terrain still weakened by Lala. Green has framed the response as running on two tracks at once: helping the Big Island and Maui recover from Lala’s damage while simultaneously staging resources for Moke, all against what officials describe as an above-average hurricane season.
Sources
Featured photo: ImagePerson via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)