Two tropical systems are projected to deliver significant precipitation to parts of the southwestern United States and Hawaii as they draw closer to land in the coming days.
Hurricane Kiko and Tropical Storm Lorena—the latter of which was downgraded from a hurricane on Thursday—represent distinct meteorological systems currently traversing the Pacific Ocean concurrently but on divergent paths.
Kiko, a hurricane heading towards Hawaii, strengthened to a Category 4 storm on Wednesday. By Thursday afternoon, it recorded maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). While meteorologists indicate it’s premature to pinpoint precisely when the storm will arrive in the islands, or if it will even make landfall, projections suggest it could approach the state early to mid next week.
Currently situated over 1,000 miles from Honolulu, Kiko has shown a slight decrease in intensity since late Wednesday, though a re-strengthening is possible. No hurricane watches or warnings have been issued by meteorologists at this time.
“Should Kiko maintain its trajectory towards Hawaii, even if it weakens to a tropical storm, it retains the potential to deliver substantial winds and rainfall to the islands next week,” stated hurricane specialist Alex DaSilva. Fellow AccuWeather meteorologist Tyler Roys added that four to eight inches of rain could fall on the eastern and northern Big Island and northern Maui by mid-to-late next week, a quantity that might trigger flash floods or mudslides.
Concurrently, Tropical Storm Lorena is anticipated to make landfall, unleashing substantial precipitation across Mexico into Friday.
“This development heightens the danger of life-threatening flash floods and mudslides throughout northwest Mexico,” according to a Thursday advisory from the NHC.
Furthermore, the storm’s effects are projected to extend into the southwestern U.S. Specifically, Arizona and New Mexico are expected to receive heavy rainfall through Saturday, as per the NHC. AccuWeather, however, suggested a broader impact from the storm, anticipating rain reaching Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, with the potential for flash flooding in those regions as a front is also expected to move across the Plains, bringing precipitation and thunderstorms coinciding with Lorena’s possible arrival.
