More king tides, southeast swell rolling in

HILO — Island residents should be on alert for another round of king tides starting today, which could cause flooding along all shores of Hawaii Island, particularly those facing east and southeast.

The king tides, or unusually high tides, could be aggravated by waves generated from a distant Hurricane Fernanda, according to the National Weather Service in Honolulu.

The king tides are predicted to stick around through the weekend and gradually subside next week. They could cause greatest impact in the mid- to late-afternoon hours, NWS said. They’re the third round of king tides to reach the islands this year.

Residents are advised to watch for high surf, strong currents and flooding and take special caution in coastal areas in and around Kapoho.

“It’s similar to what we’ve seen the past few months during the astronomical high tides,” NWS forecaster Robert Ballard said Wednesday. “There will be some exacerbation by the southeast swell from Fernanda, a little more wave run-up in certain areas that are exposed.”

As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, Fernanda was more than 1,300 miles east of Hilo and moving northwest at about 9 miles per hour. The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.

Forecasters predict Fernanda to continue to weaken through the next few days.

“(Hurricane Fernanda) is not going to have a major impact, we don’t think,” Ballard said. “Depending on its exact track, we might see some increased rain and maybe some gusty winds. But if it goes north, as our guidance is showing, we won’t even get that. We’ll just get muggy, hot and humid weather and maybe some afternoon showers.”

Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.