Updated

Hurricane Nolo, part of a record-setting El Niño-fueled Pacific hurricane season, bore down on Hawaii's Big Island in late September with sustained winds around 105-165 km/h, bringing life-threatening flash flooding, extreme surf and powerful winds. Hawaii activated more than 230 National Guard members and closed schools ahead of the storm, which was the third major tropical storm to hit the islands in recent months after Hurricanes Lala in August and Lowell in early September, both of which had already flooded homes, downed trees and toppled power lines. GDACS tracked Nolo as an active hurricane/typhoon from Sept. 13-28 with peak winds of 259 km/h, underscoring how repeated storms are compounding recovery challenges for communities still rebuilding from earlier summer storms. Coverage has linked the frequency and intensity of these storms to unusually warm ocean temperatures associated with this year's strong El Niño.