weather

Dry conditions, high winds and extreme heat have each played a role in wildfires sweeping parts of Australia this week. HPRʻs Bill Dorman has more in today's Asia Minute.

The National Weather Service is warning gusty winds and low humidity are increasing the risk that fires could spread rapidly in the western parts of each Hawaiian island. Thursday's warning comes three weeks after a deadly blaze tore through a coastal Maui town during a similar alert.

You typically expect wind and rain from a hurricane — but should we be ready for more wildfires? Although Hurricane Dora missed the islands by hundreds of miles, experts say that's still close enough for a storm system to pose serious risks of wildfires. HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote reports.

As powerful winds and dry conditions from Hurricane Dora continue to barrel through the state, officials have issued evacuation orders for Maui and Hawaiʻi Island to prepare for unexpected brush fires.

Two-thirds of the single-family homes on Hawaiʻi's most populous island have no hurricane protections. This year’s return of El Nino is highlighting this weakness because it boosts the odds that more tropical cyclones will travel through Hawaiʻi’s waters.

This week, much of the continental United States remains baking under unseasonably hot temperatures. But in parts of East Asia, extreme weather of a different kind is bringing a different set of concerns. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

State officials are referring to Tropical Storm Calvin as a "dry run" on emergency operations. The storm, which moved south of the Hawaiian Islands Tuesday night, brought only minor flooding, reported Hawaiʻi Island Mayor Mitch Roth on Wednesday afternoon. HPR's Sabrina Bodon reports.

Forecasters say Tropical Storm Calvin is expected to pass very close to Hawaiʻi on Tuesday and Wednesday. Hydrologist Kevin Kodama said Monday that the storm will bring heavy rain, high surf and strong winds.

Hawaiʻi has had a checkered past with tsunamis. Walter Dudley's book "Tsunami! Hawaiʻi’s Amazing History of the Monster Waves" recounts true stories from tsunami survivors and photographs of past disasters.

Elsewhere in Maui Nui, the entire island of Kahoʻolawe is abnormally dry, as is western Lānaʻi and west Molokaʻi. Mike Walker, a state protection forester for the DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife, said worsening drought conditions are prime grounds for wildfires.