Monday, August 26

Hurricane Hone slammed into Hawaii's Big Island on Sunday, bringing winds of over 85 mph and heavy rain, and another storm is on the way.

Hone began on Thursday as a tropical depression in the middle of the eastern Pacific, strengthening as it moved westward towards Hawaii. By the time it reached the Big Island, Hone was a hurricane with winds of 85 mph and heavy rain on the north side of the storm, where the island was.

Unfortunately, the storm slowed down greatly as it moved past Hawaii, going from 15 mph to 8 mph in one day. This allowed it to deliver more rain, dropping over a foot of rain across the south side of the Big Island and upwards of 5 inches in some areas of Maui. In fact, Hone dropped over 10 inches of rain onto the mountain of Pu'u Kukui on Maui in just 24 hours, while over 21 inches fell over the town of Hakalau on the Big Island. Highways were shut down and homes were flooded due to the serious flooding, and marine warnings were issued around the entire archipelago due to dangerous surf and mild storm surge.

However, the rain did provide relief to some regions on the northern side of the island, which had been experiencing some mild drought, and just enough rain fell to replenish their water supply but not flood the area. Hawaii is going through a rough drought patch right now, and high winds are adding to the danger of fires-- it has happened before, and it could happen again. Last year, the town of Lahaina, Maui was devastated by a raging wildfire that killed 102 people and scorched hundreds of buildings. A small fire did start in Waikoloa, a town on the northwestern side of the Big Island, but it was quickly contained and did minimal damage.

From here, Hone will move out onto open ocean, but the rain is not over for Hawaii. Hurricane Gilma, currently a strong Category 2 storm packing winds of over 105 mph, is moving the same way. Thankfully, the storm is expected to weaken as it approaches Hawaii, hitting with much less severe winds of only 35 mph. Rain will still pose a threat, though, as flooding is even worse when the ground is already saturated. Then, right on the heels of Gilma is Hector, a weak tropical storm with meager winds of 45 mph. By the time it reaches the Big Island, it will have already fizzled out, but it could still deliver some rain to the area.

Upcoming Events for this week:

• Krishna Janmashtami (Monday, August 26)

• US Open Begins (Monday, August 26)

• Paralympic Games Begin (Wednesday, August 28)

• International Day Against Nuclear Tests (Thursday, August 29)

• International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances (Friday, August 30)

• International Day for People of African Descent (Saturday, August 31)

• Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix (Sunday, September 1)

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): There is a McDonald's in Sedona, Arizona, that has turquoise arches instead of the famed golden arches. Sedona officials felt that the golden arches would not jive with the red-rock-theme of the city, so they told McDonald's to change the color of their classic M.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf. (Jon Kabat-Zinn)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Attenuate (verb)- To attenuate something is to make it weaker or less in amount, effect, or force.

In a Sentence: The switch from the clack of typewriters to the quiet tap of computer keyboards greatly attenuated the noise level of the office.