Hawaiʻi County issues Hurricane Watch for Big Island

Shelters opening, sand piles available, closures and cancellations, safety information and more; it's what you need to know as what could become a potentially major hurricane threatens Hawaiʻi County.

Hawaiʻi has suffered major damage from the Kona Low storms in May, a magnitude-6.0 earthquake in May, Hurricane Lala in August and Hurricane Lowell in September.

A hurricane watch remains in effect for the entire Big Island; tropical storm forecast to become a hurricane Thursday and could become a major hurricane by the weekend.

Shelters in Keaʻau, Nāʻālehu, Pāhala and Captain Cook will open at 6 p.m. today for anyone seeking safe refuge from the approaching storm; shuttle bus from Nāʻālehu to Pāhala shelters also will be provided.

Maui Preparatory Academy will host Paniolo Night: Games, Grinds & Good Times, a free, community-wide celebration of Hawai'i's cowboy heritage, on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 5 to 9 p.m. on the Maui Prep campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Mana Mentors, together with the West Maui Recreational Committee, will host the 4th West Maui Rec Expo on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at The Barn at Kapalua.

The Friends of Haleakalā National Park will host a service trip at the parkʻs plant nursery in the Summit District on Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 9 a.m. to noon.  Participants will help to care for rare, endemic plants being propagated.  This service trip takes place on the first Tuesday of each month.

County of Maui officials are encouraging residents and visitors to prepare for severe weather, with the National Weather Service (NWS) forecasting that a tropical depression will strengthen into Tropical Storm Nolo, then a hurricane, as it moves toward the state. A flood watch, which begins at noon today, remains in effect through Saturday for Maui County.