Tornado Warning Rattles Residents
As high winds and rain battered Molokai the evening of Jan. 8, forecasters for the National Weather Service (NWS) saw a troubling image on the radar. A powerful thunderstorm over Kepuhi Bay in west Molokai was exhibiting rotation and deemed capable of producing a tornado.
A tornado warning was issued at 7:45 p.m., with residents advised to take immediate cover. Although no tornado materialized, many residents were left with concerns over a lack of preparedness for such an event.
“We’re not used to doing tornado warnings, and that’s one of the really short fuse events where you have to take action right away,” explained John Bravender, a warning coordination meteorologist for NWS.…