Tropical Storm Moke Passed South of Hawaii. The Flood Threat Didn't.
A small tropical storm passed south of Hawaiʻi in August 2026. It never made landfall, but it brought a serious flood threat. The heaviest rain hit Hawaiʻi Island. Steep terrain and saturated ground from Hurricane Lala raised the risk of flash floods and mudslides.
From Depression to Moke: The August 21 Intensification
Moke entered the operational record as a tropical cyclone that strengthened quickly enough to become a named storm while still far southeast of Hawaiʻi Island. The system was monitored by the National Weather Service's Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu under the identifier CP022026, with the National Hurricane Center issuing the operational advisories.
The key transition came on Friday, August 21. At 11 a.m. Hawaiʻi Standard Time, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center classified the system as Tropical Storm Moke. The advisory placed the center near 13.9°N, 147.2°W, about 660 miles southeast of Hilo, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and a west-northwestward motion of about 9 mph. The same advisory said Air Force reconnaissance data showed the depression had strengthened; dropsonde data indicated a minimum pressure of about 1002 mb, while flight-level winds supported an initial intensity of 40 knots.
National Weather Service
That distinction between surface observations, aircraft measurements, and the operational intensity estimate matters in a storm retrospective. Tropical cyclone intensity is not determined by a single instrument. Aircraft reconnaissance can sample the circulation directly, dropsondes can provide pressure and thermodynamic information through the storm, and flight-level winds can be adjusted to estimate the near-surface circulation. Satellite structure and trends then provide additional evidence between aircraft missions.
Moke's first named-storm advisory described a circulation that was becoming better organized. Curved convective bands were developing north of the center, while the broader environment supported continued west-northwestward movement. A low- to mid-level ridge to the north was forecast to strengthen, and forecasters expected that ridge to help guide Moke on a faster west-northwestward track.
By 5 p.m. HST on August 21, Moke was near 14.0°N, 148.3°W, approximately 595 miles southeast of Hilo. Maximum sustained winds were 45 mph, and the storm was moving west-northwest at about 12 mph. The advisory listed a minimum central pressure of 999 mb, based on observations from NOAA and Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft.
The storm's organization, however, was not uniformly improving. Moderate southwesterly vertical wind shear tilted the circulation and displaced much of the deepest convection north of the low-level center. Tail Doppler Radar observations from reconnaissance aircraft showed the effect of that shear, while the satellite presentation showed stronger convection concentrated away from the center.
That structure helps explain why Moke strengthened into a tropical storm but did not continue toward hurricane intensity. A tropical cyclone can have sufficiently warm water and a favorable broad-scale environment while still losing efficiency when vertical wind shear repeatedly separates its thunderstorms from the circulation center. Moke's strongest convection remained displaced, limiting the ability of the inner core to consolidate.
The late-evening advisory on August 21 showed little change in intensity. At 11 p.m. HST, Moke was near 14.4°N, 149.0°W, about 545 miles southeast of Hilo, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. The system continued west-northwestward, and reconnaissance data again supported a central pressure near 999 mb.
National Weather Service
The operational record therefore shows a storm that strengthened into a named tropical cyclone, reached a peak intensity near tropical-storm strength, and then encountered structural limitations before it could develop the organized core required for a hurricane.
South of the Big Island: Moke Closes the Distance
Saturday, August 22, brought Moke closer to Hawaiʻi Island without bringing the center onto the island. The storm's track became the central issue for emergency managers because even a miss to the south could still produce heavy rainfall, gusty winds, dangerous surf, and strong runoff across steep terrain.
At 11 a.m. HST, the official NHC/CPHC advisory placed Moke at 14.9°N, 151.1°W, about 425 miles southeast of Hilo. Maximum sustained winds were 50 mph, and the storm was moving west-northwest at roughly 12 mph. The same advisory forecast the center to pass south of the Big Island on Sunday and then continue well south of the smaller main Hawaiian Islands.
This coordinate is important because earlier Saturday observations had placed the center near 14.8°N, 150.2°W at 5 a.m. HST. Hawaiʻi County's emergency proclamation used that earlier position when describing the storm's approach. The 11 a.m. CPHC advisory subsequently placed the center farther west at 14.9°N, 151.1°W. Both observations belong to the same operational track and should not be treated as conflicting locations from the same observation time.
Hawaii County
At 11 a.m., the CPHC also recorded a minimum central pressure of 996 mb. Unlike the earlier draft record, this value is directly documented in the official public advisory and does not need to be inferred from secondary reporting.
Moke was forecast to strengthen slightly further, with the Hawaiʻi County emergency proclamation citing a forecast peak near 60 mph before weakening began on Sunday. County officials opened shelters ahead of the storm and warned that heavy rainfall could trigger flash flooding once the rain arrived.
Hawaii County
The rainfall forecast was more consequential than the storm's modest wind field. The county said 5 to 10 inches of rain were possible in windward areas, with isolated totals as high as 15 inches. A Flood Watch covered Hawaiʻi Island, while a Wind Advisory applied to Kohala, Kaʻū, lower Puna, and interior areas.
Hawaii County
The concern was not simply the amount of rain falling from Moke. The Big Island had already been hit by Hurricane Lala only days earlier. Roads, drainage systems, slopes, vegetation, utility corridors, and soils were still recovering from the earlier storm. Additional rainfall therefore had less room to be absorbed or safely routed away from populated areas.
The physical geography of Hawaiʻi Island amplified the concern. Windward slopes can force moist tropical air upward, producing enhanced rainfall. Steep terrain can then accelerate runoff into streams, gullies, and low-lying roads. When soil is already wet, a new burst of heavy rainfall can produce rapid changes in water levels and slope stability.
The National Weather Service warned of heavy rainfall and gusty winds beginning Saturday night on the Big Island. The county's emergency message urged people living in flood-prone or otherwise unsafe areas to relocate to shelters or other safe locations before storm conditions arrived.
Hawaii County
Moke's approach also carried a coastal hazard component. Even when the center remains offshore, tropical-storm winds can raise seas and produce dangerous surf and rip currents. The Hawaiʻi County emergency proclamation specifically cited life-threatening surf and rip-current conditions among the hazards associated with the storm's close passage.
Hawaii County
By Saturday afternoon, Moke had already begun to show signs of weakening. At 5 p.m. HST, the center was near 15.3°N, 152.1°W, about 360 miles south-southeast of Hilo, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. The CPHC attributed the deterioration to persistent southwesterly vertical wind shear and dry mid-level air.
The storm was moving west rather than continuing on a more northward track toward Hawaiʻi Island. That westward motion kept the center offshore, but it did not eliminate the rainfall threat. The rain shield and outer circulation could still reach the island while the center remained hundreds of miles away.
That distinction drove everything officials did next: prepare for flooding without treating Moke as a direct landfalling tropical storm.
Rain Over Wind: Why Moke Still Threatened Hawaiʻi Island
The most important part of Moke's Hawaiʻi story was not a destructive wind strike. The real danger came from water, terrain, and the timing of another tropical system arriving before the island had fully recovered from Hurricane Lala.
Lala had reached Category 1 hurricane strength and brought severe rainfall and damaging winds to Hawaiʻi earlier in August. The National Weather Service's Lala forecasts had called for 10 to 20 inches of rain across the Big Island, with maximum totals of 25 inches possible.
Marine Weather
Later scientific analysis by the University of Hawaiʻi documented the scale of the Lala rainfall event. Researchers estimated that about 1.3 trillion gallons of water, equivalent to nearly two million Olympic-size swimming pools, fell across Hawaiʻi during August 14–16. The statewide average rainfall was reported at 11.4 inches, with Hawaiʻi County accounting for roughly two-thirds of the total rainfall volume.
University of Hawaii
Those figures provide the physical background for the Moke emergency. A tropical storm arriving over recently saturated terrain does not need to reproduce the rainfall totals of the previous cyclone to create additional flooding. The amount of rainfall needed to trigger runoff can be lower when soils and drainage channels are already carrying water.
For residents, the distinction was straightforward: the storm center could remain offshore while the rain still arrived.
Moke's forecast rainfall totals were lower than the most severe Lala projections, but the combination of 5 to 10 inches of forecast rainfall, isolated higher totals, steep terrain, and saturated ground created a renewed flash-flood concern. The county explicitly cited the condition of the ground left by Lala when announcing shelters.
Hawaii County
The National Weather Service also warned that rainfall and gusty winds would affect the Hawaiian Islands late Saturday and Sunday. The official track kept Moke's center south of the Big Island, but the forecast discussion emphasized the potential for significant weather on land from a system that did not make landfall.
The role of vertical wind shear
Vertical wind shear was a recurring feature of Moke's life cycle. Moderate southwesterly shear repeatedly displaced deep convection away from the low-level center. On August 23, the CPHC described the southern portion of the circulation as exposed while convection pulsed mainly in the northern semicircle.
For tropical cyclone development, that separation matters. A compact, vertically aligned circulation allows heat released by thunderstorms to reinforce the central pressure field and sustain the inner core. When shear pushes thunderstorms away from the center, that feedback becomes less efficient.
Moke's environment also contained mid-level dry air. The August 23 forecast discussion said the combination of dry air and moderate shear would outweigh the benefit of warm sea-surface temperatures. Forecasters expected Moke to struggle to maintain sustained deep convection and to weaken toward a tropical depression or remnant low.
That forecast was borne out in the operational record.
At 5 a.m. HST on August 23, Moke was near 15.2°N, 155.0°W, moving west at about 15 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. The official NHC storm page listed a minimum pressure of 1002 mb at that advisory time.
By 11 a.m. HST, Moke had moved to 15.2°N, 156.3°W, about 320 miles south-southwest of Hilo, with maximum sustained winds down to 40 mph. The CPHC continued to warn of heavy rainfall over the Big Island.
The storm's gradual weakening did not instantly remove the flood risk. Tropical cyclone rainfall can remain significant after the strongest winds have declined because the precipitation shield is controlled by moisture availability, convergence, terrain, and the storm's surrounding circulation rather than by maximum sustained wind alone.
Moke's movement also mattered. A storm traveling westward south of Hawaiʻi can continue to push moisture toward the island even as its center moves farther away. The distance between the center and the island therefore cannot be used by itself to determine whether flooding is possible.
What officials did on the ground
Hawaiʻi County opened shelters before the worst conditions arrived. The county also advised residents in flood-prone or unsafe locations to move to shelters or other safe areas before storm conditions began.
Hawaii County
The county's decision reflected the condition of the island rather than just the category of the storm. Moke was not a hurricane, and its center was not expected to cross the coast, but the island was carrying the effects of a much stronger earlier storm.
That distinction drove everything officials did next. The operational response focused on evacuation readiness, shelters, flood monitoring, road safety, wind exposure, and public messaging rather than preparations for a direct hurricane landfall.
The state and county also had to balance storm response with ongoing recovery work from Lala. Power restoration, transportation access, debris removal, road repairs, and other infrastructure work can become harder when another round of heavy rainfall arrives.
The Associated Press reported that Hawaii was still recovering from Lala when Moke formed, with officials urging residents to prepare supplies and avoid unnecessary travel during the period of greatest flood risk.
AP News
Moke complicated the recovery without ever touching land.
That is a practical distinction in tropical cyclone response. A landfalling storm creates one obvious point of maximum exposure, but a nearby offshore storm can spread its hazards across a much larger area through rainbands, gusts, surf, rip currents, and runoff. For an island recovering from another cyclone, the threshold for a new emergency can be lower.
Moke's Peak and Fade: The Storm Loses Its Core
Moke never intensified into a hurricane. Its strongest sustained winds remained within tropical-storm range, with the operational peak reaching 50 mph in the August 22 morning advisory.
The storm's decline became clearer later on August 22. At 5 p.m. HST, maximum sustained winds had fallen to 45 mph. The CPHC reported that persistent southwesterly shear and dry mid-level air had caused deep convection to collapse. Reconnaissance data showed peak 700-mb flight-level winds around 43 knots, while an uncrewed aircraft measured peak winds of about 38 knots near the surface in the northeast quadrant.
National Weather Service
The difference between those measurements is a useful reminder that tropical cyclone intensity is an operational estimate built from multiple observations. Flight-level winds are measured above the surface and are not identical to the one-minute sustained wind used in public advisories. Forecasters combine aircraft measurements, surface data, satellite estimates, and storm structure to determine the official intensity.
On August 23, Moke continued westward south of Hawaiʻi Island. At 5 a.m. HST, it still had 45-mph sustained winds. The official position was 15.2°N, 155.0°W.
At 11 a.m., the storm had weakened to 40 mph and was about 320 miles south-southwest of Hilo.
Later that day, the weakening trend continued. By 5 p.m. HST, the storm was being treated operationally as a tropical depression, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph, while its center was about 335 miles south-southwest of Hilo. The transition marked the loss of the sustained tropical-storm circulation that had carried the name Moke.
The physical mechanism was consistent with the earlier forecast. Moke moved into an environment where dry mid-level air and vertical wind shear interfered with deep convection. Warm water alone was not enough to preserve the storm's inner core. The circulation became increasingly exposed, and organized thunderstorm activity became harder to maintain.
This weakening phase also changed the balance of hazards. As wind speeds declined, the main concern shifted increasingly toward rainfall and residual moisture rather than direct tropical-storm winds. The Big Island remained under rainfall concerns even as the storm's center moved farther west.
The system still carried enough organization to remain a tropical cyclone for another day. On August 24, the CPHC continued monitoring Moke as it moved westward away from Hawaiʻi. Reports placed the storm roughly 515 miles from Johnston Island, with maximum sustained winds around 35 mph.
The storm's circulation then became increasingly diffuse. At 11 a.m. HST on August 24, NOAA's storm record placed Moke near 15.7°N, 161.8°W, with 35-mph maximum sustained winds. By 5 p.m. HST, the center was near 16.0°N, 163.0°W, still carrying 35-mph winds.
GOES Image Viewer
The final phase came that night. At 11 p.m. HST on August 24, the center was near 16.3°N, 164.1°W, moving west at about 14 mph. The NHC listed maximum sustained winds of approximately 35 mph and a minimum central pressure of 1006 mb.
GOES Image Viewer
This final position is supported by NOAA's storm archive and the NHC's final operational advisory, removing the uncertainty that surrounded the earlier draft's coordinate. The final advisory stated that the circulation was no longer closed and that the system no longer met the criteria for a tropical cyclone.
National Weather Service
Moke was consequently classified as a remnant low rather than a tropical cyclone. The NHC expected the remnants to continue generally westward while gradually weakening.
The storm's official life cycle therefore ran from tropical depression status to tropical-storm strength, followed by a gradual loss of organized convection and finally an open trough/remnant circulation. It never reached hurricane intensity.
Hawaiʻi After Lala: Why a Near-Miss Still Mattered
Moke arrived at a particularly difficult point in Hawaiʻi's August weather sequence. Hurricane Lala had already produced major rainfall and damaging winds, and the recovery period was still active when Moke approached.
Lala's impact was substantial even though the storm's center did not make an official landfall. University of Hawaiʻi researchers later estimated approximately 1.3 trillion gallons of water fell across the state during the August 14–16 event. The statewide rainfall average reached 11.4 inches, and Hawaiʻi County received about 66% of the total rainfall volume.
University of Hawaii
The earlier hurricane also caused extensive infrastructure problems. Reuters reported that Lala's impacts included more than 42,000 utility customers without power at one point, with the Big Island experiencing the largest concentration of outages. The storm also produced damaging winds, fallen trees, and infrastructure disruption.
Against that background, Moke's rainfall forecasts carried a different meaning from the same numbers during a normal week.
Five inches of rain on a dry landscape and five inches on already saturated ground are not equivalent hydrological events. The latter can generate rapid runoff, overwhelm drainage, and trigger renewed slope instability with much less additional precipitation.
That was the central operational problem for Hawaiʻi County. Officials did not need to wait for Moke to become a hurricane before opening shelters or warning residents about flash flooding. The county's emergency proclamation specifically cited saturated ground left by Hurricane Lala and the possibility that additional rainfall could quickly cause flooding.
Hawaii County
The storm also tested the timing of recovery operations. Utility crews, road crews, emergency managers, and residents were still dealing with the consequences of Lala when another tropical cyclone approached. A new flood event could damage repaired roads, restrict access to isolated communities, interrupt power restoration, or force residents to leave areas that had only recently reopened.
The weather service's warnings reflected this compound risk. Flood watches were issued for Hawaiʻi Island, and wind advisories covered several exposed districts and higher elevations.
Hawaii County
Windward terrain and runoff
The Big Island's topography is central to understanding why an offshore tropical storm can generate serious flooding.
Moist tropical air moving toward the island encounters elevated terrain, particularly along windward slopes. Forced ascent cools the air and encourages condensation and rainfall. When the incoming air mass is associated with a tropical cyclone's broad moisture field, rainfall can become concentrated along terrain-facing slopes.
Once rain reaches the ground, steep gradients can move water rapidly downslope. Streams and drainage channels can rise quickly, while roads crossing low points can become hazardous even when rainfall is occurring some distance away.
The storm's center does not have to pass overhead for this process to occur.
Moke's forecast track kept the center south of the Big Island. The CPHC nevertheless warned of heavy rainfall and gusty winds across the island, while Hawaiʻi County prepared shelters and flood-response measures.
The situation also had a coastal dimension. Tropical-storm winds over the ocean can produce rough seas and dangerous surf, while strong currents can extend beyond the immediate area of strongest winds. The county specifically warned of dangerous surf and rip currents as part of Moke's hazard set.
Hawaii County
Recovery does not pause for a second storm
For emergency managers, the sequence of Lala followed by Moke was more important than the category of either storm in isolation.
A community recovering from one cyclone has reduced flexibility. Roads may have already been damaged, utility systems may be operating under temporary repairs, and residents may have fewer safe travel routes. Another period of heavy rain can turn a manageable repair operation into a new emergency.
Moke complicated the recovery without ever touching land.
That reality also affected public messaging. Officials emphasized supplies, shelter options, road safety, flood awareness, and monitoring of official forecasts. The County of Hawaiʻi opened shelters before the storm's strongest impacts and urged residents in vulnerable areas to relocate early.
Hawaii County
The approach showed why tropical cyclone warnings cannot be reduced to the question of whether the center makes landfall. Wind, rainfall, surf, and runoff have different spatial footprints. A storm can miss an island while still sending one or more of those hazards across it.
For Hawaiʻi Island in August 2026, rainfall was the most immediate concern. The strongest winds stayed offshore, but the moisture field interacted with terrain and already wet ground. That combination produced the operational need for flood watches and shelters even while Moke remained a relatively weak tropical cyclone.
The Final Operational Record: From Moke to a Remnant Low
The final stage of Moke's life was comparatively quiet meteorologically, but it completed a clear sequence of strengthening, peak intensity, weakening, and dissipation.
Moke was named on August 21 after reconnaissance aircraft data showed that the depression had strengthened to tropical-storm intensity. The 11 a.m. advisory recorded 45-mph maximum sustained winds, and dropsonde observations supported a minimum pressure around 1002 mb.
National Weather Service
Later that afternoon, Moke remained near 45 mph while reconnaissance observations supported a central pressure around 999 mb.
On August 22, the storm reached its operational peak of 50 mph. At 11 a.m. HST, the center was 425 miles southeast of Hilo at 14.9°N, 151.1°W. The official advisory listed 996 mb and continued to forecast a passage south of the Big Island.
The storm did not maintain that intensity. By 5 p.m. Saturday, winds were down to 45 mph, and the CPHC described weakening convection associated with shear and dry mid-level air.
On Sunday morning, Moke was near 15.2°N, 155.0°W with 45-mph winds. By 11 a.m., it had weakened to 40 mph and was about 320 miles south-southwest of Hilo.
The storm continued westward and lost tropical-storm strength later Sunday. Its circulation remained south of Hawaiʻi as the center moved away from the island.
On Monday, August 24, Moke remained a weak tropical cyclone while moving west. NOAA's archived storm record lists 35-mph winds at 11 a.m. and again at 5 p.m., with the center moving from roughly 15.7°N, 161.8°W to 16.0°N, 163.0°W.
GOES Image Viewer
By 11 p.m. HST Monday, the center was near 16.3°N, 164.1°W. The NHC's final advisory said the circulation was ill-defined and no longer closed. It also noted that sporadic convection had collapsed and that the system no longer met the criteria for a tropical cyclone.
National Weather Service
The final advisory gave Moke's maximum sustained winds as about 35 mph and its minimum central pressure as 1006 mb. The system was expected to continue westward as a remnant low before dissipating.
GOES Image Viewer
NOAA's later storm imagery archive preserved Moke as a post-tropical cyclone for additional tracking, identifying the final observed position at 16.3°N, 164.1°W and documenting the end of the NHC advisory cycle.
GOES Image Viewer
The final operational record shows a tropical cyclone that strengthened to tropical-storm intensity, reached a maximum sustained wind estimate of 50 mph, passed south of Hawaiʻi without landfall, and weakened as vertical wind shear and dry mid-level air disrupted its convection. Its center ultimately opened into a trough west of Hawaiʻi, ending the tropical-cyclone phase of Moke's life.
National Weather Service
Default Best Recommendation: Read Moke as a Rainfall-and-Recovery Event
For readers assessing Moke's significance, the most useful interpretation is to treat the storm as a rainfall and recovery event rather than a direct wind-damage event.
That approach follows the official record. Moke never reached hurricane strength, and its center remained offshore. Its strongest sustained winds were modest compared with Hurricane Lala, while the most serious warnings for Hawaiʻi focused on rainfall, flash flooding, mudslides, high-elevation wind, surf, and rip currents.
The best way to understand the storm is therefore to examine three layers at once:
The track: Moke remained south of the Big Island and continued westward.
The structure: vertical wind shear and dry mid-level air repeatedly displaced or weakened deep convection.
The ground condition: Hurricane Lala had already saturated parts of Hawaiʻi Island and damaged infrastructure.
Taken together, those factors explain why an offshore tropical storm received substantial emergency attention despite never becoming a hurricane.
For future storm analysis, the Moke case also illustrates why storm intensity alone is an incomplete measure of local risk. A 45- or 50-mph tropical storm can still produce dangerous flooding when its rainfall interacts with steep terrain and wet ground. Conversely, a stronger storm can sometimes produce a different hazard mix depending on its track, forward speed, rainfall distribution, and interaction with land.
The official advisories provide the clearest basis for reconstructing Moke. The National Weather Service's Central Pacific Hurricane Center documented the storm's intensity and track, Hawaiʻi County documented the local emergency response, and NOAA's later archive preserved the final post-tropical stage.
Hawaii County
What the record supports
The following facts are firmly supported by the operational record:
Moke carried the identifier CP022026.
It became Tropical Storm Moke on August 21, 2026.
The 11 a.m. HST August 21 advisory recorded 45-mph sustained winds and approximately 1002 mb.
The 5 p.m. HST August 21 advisory placed Moke near 14.0°N, 148.3°W, about 595 miles southeast of Hilo, with 45-mph winds.
At 11 a.m. HST August 22, Moke was at 14.9°N, 151.1°W, about 425 miles southeast of Hilo, with 50-mph sustained winds.
The storm's forecast peak was near 60 mph, but that forecast intensity was not realized.
At 5 a.m. HST August 23, Moke was near 15.2°N, 155.0°W with 45-mph sustained winds.
By August 23, the storm weakened to tropical-depression strength.
On August 24, Moke retained approximately 35-mph winds while moving west of Hawaiʻi.
At 11 p.m. HST August 24, the center was near 16.3°N, 164.1°W with approximately 35-mph winds.
The NHC issued its final advisory after the circulation lost a closed center and opened into a trough.
National Weather Service
National Weather Service
Some earlier secondary claims are not retained here because they are not needed to explain the storm and lacked sufficiently clear primary documentation. That includes an unsupported 43-inch rainfall figure attributed to Lala. Official Lala forecasts cited totals of 10 to 20 inches across the Big Island, with maximum totals of 25 inches, while later University of Hawaiʻi analysis documented the storm's statewide rainfall volume without relying on that disputed figure.
Marine Weather
The same standard applies to operational claims that cannot be verified through the public record. No unsupported account of an operation called "TREK808" is required to explain Moke's track, emergency response, or dissipation.
FAQ: Tropical Storm Moke in 2026
- What was Tropical Storm Moke?
Tropical Storm Moke was a Central Pacific tropical cyclone monitored under identifier CP022026 in August 2026. It became a named tropical storm on August 21, passed south of Hawaiʻi Island, and later weakened into a remnant low west of the Hawaiian Islands.
- When did Moke become a tropical storm?
Moke was classified as a tropical storm by the 11 a.m. HST advisory on August 21, 2026. The National Weather Service's Central Pacific Hurricane Center said reconnaissance data showed that the depression had strengthened, with flight-level winds supporting an initial intensity of 40 knots.
National Weather Service
- What was Moke's strongest wind speed?
Moke's highest operational maximum sustained wind speed was 50 mph. That intensity was recorded in the 11 a.m. HST advisory on August 22 while the storm was approximately 425 miles southeast of Hilo.
- Did Moke become a hurricane?
No. Moke never intensified into a hurricane. Its operational peak was 50-mph maximum sustained winds, well below the 74-mph threshold used for hurricane classification in the Central Pacific and other U.S.-managed basins.
- Did Moke make landfall in Hawaiʻi?
No. The center remained offshore and passed south of the Big Island. The CPHC forecast specifically kept the center south of Hawaiʻi Island before the system moved farther west.
- How close did Moke get to Hilo?
At 11 a.m. HST on August 22, Moke was approximately 425 miles southeast of Hilo. The official advisory placed the center at 14.9°N, 151.1°W with 50-mph maximum sustained winds.
- Why was Moke dangerous if it did not make landfall?
Its main threat was heavy rainfall over Hawaiʻi Island. Forecasts called for 5 to 10 inches in windward areas, with isolated totals as high as 15 inches. The ground was already saturated from Hurricane Lala, increasing the potential for flash flooding and mudslides.
Hawaii County
- What role did Hurricane Lala play in the Moke response?
Lala had affected Hawaiʻi only days before Moke arrived. It reached Category 1 hurricane strength and produced widespread heavy rainfall and damaging winds. The University of Hawaiʻi later estimated that about 1.3 trillion gallons of water fell across Hawaiʻi during the Lala event.
- How much rain was forecast from Moke?
Hawaiʻi County reported a forecast of 5 to 10 inches, with isolated amounts as high as 15 inches in windward areas. The National Weather Service issued a Flood Watch for Hawaiʻi Island in advance of the heaviest rainfall.
Hawaii County
- Why did vertical wind shear weaken Moke?
Vertical wind shear pushed the storm's deepest thunderstorms away from the low-level circulation center. That separation weakened the storm's ability to maintain an organized inner core. The CPHC repeatedly described convection displaced north of the circulation and later reported that persistent shear and dry mid-level air contributed to weakening.
- What happened to Moke on August 23?
Moke continued westward south of Hawaiʻi Island while weakening. At 5 a.m. HST it was near 15.2°N, 155.0°W with 45-mph winds. By 11 a.m., it was near 15.2°N, 156.3°W with 40-mph winds. Later that day, it weakened to tropical-depression strength.
- Where was Moke when the NHC ended advisories?
At the final 11 p.m. HST advisory on August 24, the center was near 16.3°N, 164.1°W. The NHC said the circulation was no longer closed and that Moke no longer met the criteria for a tropical cyclone.
National Weather Service
- What was Moke's final wind speed?
The final advisory listed maximum sustained winds of about 35 mph. The system was no longer a tropical cyclone because its circulation had opened into a trough, even though winds remained present around portions of the broader disturbance.
National Weather Service
- What was Moke's final central pressure?
The NOAA/NHC final storm record lists a minimum central pressure of 1006 mb at 11 p.m. HST on August 24. This value is supported by the final operational record and is distinct from earlier pressure observations during Moke's strengthening phase.
GOES Image Viewer
- Did Moke cause the same level of damage as Hurricane Lala?
No. Moke did not produce the same direct wind impact as Lala, which reached Category 1 hurricane strength. Moke's primary concern was heavy rainfall and flooding while Hawaiʻi was still recovering from Lala.
- Did Hawaiʻi County open shelters for Moke?
Yes. Hawaiʻi County announced that shelters would open ahead of the storm because of the anticipated heavy rainfall and flash-flood threat. Residents in flood-prone or otherwise unsafe areas were urged to move to shelters or other safe locations before storm conditions began.
Hawaii County
- Which parts of Hawaiʻi Island faced the greatest rainfall concern?
The strongest rainfall concern focused on windward areas, with particular attention to locations vulnerable to flash flooding and terrain-driven runoff. The county's forecast called for 5 to 10 inches, with isolated higher totals.
Hawaii County
- Did Moke threaten other Hawaiian islands?
Yes. Although the Big Island faced the strongest rainfall concern, the broader Hawaiian Islands also faced gusty winds, surf, and rainfall impacts. The forecast track carried Moke south of the Big Island before taking it farther west and south of the smaller main islands.
- Why was Moke monitored so closely despite its modest intensity?
The storm approached an island that had just experienced a major hurricane-related rainfall event. Saturated soils, damaged infrastructure, and ongoing recovery work increased the consequences of another period of heavy rain. The county and weather service therefore treated rainfall and flooding as serious hazards even though Moke never became a hurricane.
Hawaii County
- What caused Moke to dissipate?
Moke moved into an environment with persistent vertical wind shear and mid-level dry air. Deep convection weakened and became increasingly displaced from the circulation. By August 24, the center was no longer closed, and the NHC classified the system as a remnant low/open trough.
- Was Moke stronger than Hurricane Lala?
No. Lala reached Category 1 hurricane strength, while Moke peaked at 50-mph sustained winds. Their hazard profiles were also different: Lala produced much stronger winds and extreme rainfall, while Moke's main threat to Hawaiʻi was additional rainfall on ground already saturated by the earlier hurricane.
- What is the most important lesson from Moke's track?
Moke demonstrates that a tropical cyclone's center track and maximum wind speed do not fully describe its local hazard. The storm remained offshore, yet its rainfall still prompted flood watches, shelter openings, and emergency warnings because of Hawaiʻi Island's steep terrain and recent rainfall from Hurricane Lala.
Hawaii County
- What was the official storm identifier for Moke?
The storm was tracked as CP022026, the Central Pacific system designation used in the National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center operational archive.
- When did the official Moke advisory cycle end?
The NHC issued its final advisory at 11 p.m. HST on August 24, 2026. The storm was then classified as a remnant circulation rather than a tropical cyclone.
National Weather Service
- Where did Moke go after leaving Hawaiʻi?
Moke continued westward as a weakening remnant system. NOAA's storm archive continued to display the circulation for several days after the final NHC advisory as a post-tropical cyclone, while the organized tropical cyclone phase had already ended.
GOES Image Viewer
The final operational record shows Moke moving west at roughly 14 mph near 16.3°N, 164.1°W on August 24, with maximum sustained winds near 35 mph and an open, weakening circulation no longer meeting tropical-cyclone criteria.
National Weather Service