Tropical Storm Hone prompts warnings for Hawaii’s Big Island

A tropical storm warning was issued Friday for Hawaii’s Big Island as the storm known as Hone approached with 50 mph winds, forecasters said.

Tropical Storm Hone is forecast to pass near or south of the island Saturday night into early Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said.

A tropical storm warning was issued for Hawaii County, and swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip currents across the island chain on Saturday, the agency said.

Hawaii’s Big Island could see around 10 inches of rain, the hurricane center said in a 5 p.m. local time (11 p.m. ET) advisory.  

The center of Hone was around 425 miles east-southeast of Hilo at 5 p.m. local time and it had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, the agency said. It was moving west at 16 mph.

Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency issued a “red flag” warning Friday for leeward areas of all islands on Saturday because high winds could contribute to the risk of wildfires.