Hawaii is eyeing a new tropical threat less than a week after deadly Hurricane Lala tore through parts of the islands.
Tropical Depression Two-C was more than 700 miles southeast of the Big Island early Friday morning, local time, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The depression is forecast to gradually strengthen into Tropical Storm Moke as soon as Friday and take a similar track as Lala toward Hawaii.
But the new storm will likely be weaker than Lala and track further south when it makes its closest pass on Sunday, somewhat dampening its wind threat, but not its rain.
Lala’s eyewall brushed the southern coast of the Big Island while its center was roughly 30 miles offshore. The latest forecast brings this new storm’s center 180 miles south of the Big Island as a tropical storm.
