Kahului ties all-time high temperature – 97
Chance of rain in forecast as storms approach
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Temperatures soared to a scorching 97 degrees in Kahului on Monday, setting a record for the hottest temperature ever in the month of July and tying the all-time high for the Kahului Airport station.
Monday's temperature broke the previous record of 93 set on the same date in 2015. Prior to Monday, the highest-ever temperature in July had been 95 degrees, set on July 21, 2010; July 22, 1996; and July 28, 2015, according to National Weather Service records.
It also happened to be the hottest-ever temperature recorded at the Kahului Airport, tying the all-time high of 97 set on Aug. 22, 2015, and Aug. 31, 1994. (Record-keeping goes back to April 1, 1954.)
With the heat index, which factors in humidity, it actually felt like 100 degrees at the hottest point of the day, shortly before noon on Monday.
Meanwhile, the islands were preparing for the possible arrival of rain from two tropical storms brewing in the Central and Eastern Pacific.
Hurricane Erick, the closer of the two, was upgraded from a tropical storm on Monday. As of 5 p.m., Erick was located about 1,220 miles east-southeast of Kahului with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. It was moving west at 18 mph and was expected to strengthen over the next 48 hours before weakening by late Wednesday.
Erick was predicted to pass south of Hawaii island by Friday afternoon and continue past the island chain throughout the weekend.
Scattered and isolated showers were forecast throughout the rest of the week for Kahului. The chance of rain on Friday and Saturday is 30 percent, with expected highs around 90 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Tropical Storm Flossie, meanwhile, has become stronger and was expected to develop into a hurricane by today. As of 5 p.m. Monday, it was located about 2,625 miles east-southeast of Kahului. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and was moving west at 17 mph.
Flossie was expected to continue along the same path through tonight before turning west-northwest on Wednesday and maintaining that direction through the end of the week.
No coastal watches or warnings were in effect as of Monday afternoon.
* Colleen Uechi can be reached at cuechi@maui news.com.