Maui urges preparation for extended outages as Nolo intensifies

The County of Maui has urged residents to prepare for prolonged power and communications disruptions, with West Maui outages potentially lasting until noon Monday due to Public Safety Power Shutoff measures. Simultaneously, Hurricane Nolo is rapidly intensifying into a Category 4 storm after gaining 55 mph in wind speed over the last day. While currently moving away from the main islands toward warmer waters where it may reach Category 5 strength on Monday, its outer bands continue to bring heavy rain and high winds to parts of Hawaii. Officials have issued hurricane watches for the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument due to risks including mudslides, flooding in loose soil areas with over 14 inches reported at Big Island elevations, and potential volcanic hail activity linked to precursor signals from Kilauea volcano.