U.S. State Warns Residents As Massive Storm Not Seen In Over 30 Years Closes In

Hawaii’s Big Island is about to be slammed by a huge Category 2 hurricane next week, according to brand new spaghetti models that came out this week. Kiko, the name of the storm in the eastern Pacific Ocean, has been steadily building strength, as local meteorologists now predict it will reach Category 3 by today.

To give you a clearer picture of just how powerful this hurricane is becoming, it has sustained winds of over 100 miles per hour. The last major hurricane to directly hit Hawaii occurred in September 1992, when Hurricane Iniki, a ferocious storm, left massive damage in its wake.

According to a report published by The Daily Mail, Iniki hit the Big Island as a Category 4, blasting it with sustained winds over 145 mph. Six people died as a result of the storm, and it caused $3 billion in damage.

Meteorologists working for AccuWeather are in agreement with the new spaghetti models, projecting that Kiko will officially make landfall in Hawaii next Tuesday, September 9. Early on Wednesday, the hurricane was rated as a Category 2 as it barreled toward the tropical paradise.

Forecasts predict up to eight inches of rain could slam into the eastern side of the Big Island once the storm makes landfall. After that, for the rest of the week, Hawaii is expected to receive two inches of rain.

As of now, officials in the state have not issued any hurricane warnings or alerts, but that will change as the storm approaches. Weather experts in Hawaii have given residents hope, saying it’s still not a guarantee that the storm will hit the Big Island, but models are predicting a direct hit.

For those who are unfamiliar with spaghetti models, these tools outline potential paths a tropical storm could take. The predictions are based on data analyzed by several computer programs. Each line of the model represents a guess about where the storm could go.

The more spaghetti models agree with one another, the more likely it is that the path is the accurate one.

“Forecasters at NHC have projected that Kiko will continue to strengthen, churning into a major hurricane, until Saturday. At that point, meteorologists expect the hurricane to weaken as it moves into cooler waters closer to Hawaii and encounters more wind shear,” the report added.

Kiko is currently the 11th named system to pop up in the Pacific Ocean this year, with three months left in the season to go.