Hawaii residents warned to brace for not one, but TWO hurricanes

The bad weather is set to strike the Aloha State just as President Barack Obama visiting Honolulu for an environmental conference

The surf is expected to reach 25 feet on the Big Island’s eastern shore by Wednesday night, while Maui (above) is also under a tropical storm warning

Residents of Hawaii’s Big Island have been warned to brace themselves for the arrival of bad weather, after the Central Pacific Hurricane Centre said Hurricane Madeline was one of two powerful storms likely to pass “dangerously close” to the archipelago in the coming days.

The Centre issued a hurricane watch on Monday, with forecasters predicting Madeline would be near or over the Big Island sometime on Wednesday. At 11pm local time on Monday night, the storm was said to be a Category 4 hurricane with winds of almost 130mph.

By Tuesday morning, the centre of the storm was approximately 445 miles east of Hilo, the largest town on the Big Island, moving closer at around 10mph. While it is expected to weaken before reaching the island sometime on Wednesday, residents were nonetheless advised to prepare for hurricane force winds and heavy rain.

Surf is expected to reach 25 feet on the Big Island’s eastern shore by Wednesday night, while there were also warnings of potential flash floods and mudslides. Hawaii County, which encompasses the Big Island, told residents to stock up on emergency supplies and formulate evacuation plans.

There was also a tropical storm watch in effect for Maui County, which takes in the islands of Maui, Molokai and Lanai. Hurricane Hunters from the US 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron were reportedly due to make exploratory flights into the storm on Tuesday to collect data on its size and intensity.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Lester is also approaching Hawaii and could reach the Aloha State over the weekend. According to the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami, Lester was a Category 3 hurricane on Tuesday morning, with maximum sustained winds of 120mph.

The bad weather is affecting the archipelago just as President Barack Obama is expected to visit his home state to address the World Conservation Congress in Honolulu on Wednesday evening.