Tropical Storm Greg not expected to impact Maui or hinder recovery efforts

Tropical Storm Greg entered the Central Pacific Basin on Monday morning, but it is expected to have no impact on Maui or hinder recovery efforts, said Da’Vel Johnson with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

The storm with maximum sustained winds near 40 mph is expected to pass well south — 300 to 400 miles — of the Hawaiian islands on Wednesday night through Thursday morning.

Unlike Category 4 Hurricane Dora, which also passed well south of the islands, Greg is not expected to create high winds and dry air that helped fuel the wildfires on Maui. Those conditions created by Dora led to Red Flag Warnings of fire hazards on Maui more than a day before the fires began.

Greg was about 1,110 miles east-southeast of Hilo on Monday morning.

But Johnson said that Maui still is in drought conditions that provide fuel for wildfires. He also said that the weather forecast calls for breezy conditions of 10 to 15 mph with gusts of up to 25 mph with virtually no rainfall accumulation throughout the week.

Greg is moving toward the west near 13 mph with tropical-storm-force winds extending outward up to 35 miles from its center. Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph with higher gusts. Some slight strengthening is possible during the next couple of days.

There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect at this time.

Fernanda, a storm developing in the east North Pacific is now a category 4 hurricane about 745 miles southwest of the Southern tip of Baja, California. Maximum sustained winds are 130 mph with higher gusts.

Fernanda is moving toward the west near 8 mph. A general west to west-northwest motion is expected to continue with some increase in forward speed over the next few days.

A weakening trend is expected to begin tonight or early Tuesday.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles.