Hurricane Douglas has weakened to a Category 1 hurricane as it moves closer to the Hawaiian islands.
The Latest
Hurricane watches were posted for most of Hawaii on Friday, with a hurricane warning now in effect for the island of Oahu, which includes Honolulu. Douglas is expected to pass over or near Hawaii as a hurricane on Sunday or Monday.
After rapidly intensifying into a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday, Douglas began its long-expected weakening process on Friday.
Cooler sea-surface temperatures and increased wind shear have already taken a toll on Douglas, with the storm dropping back to a Category 1 storm on Saturday.
Hurricane Douglas’ forecast track.
The Forecast
As the storm approaches the Islands, cooler water and higher shear should help to continue weakening.
The current forecast from the National Hurricane Center has Douglas approaching the Big Island of Hawaii and Maui on Sunday as a Category 1 hurricane.
At the minimum, Hawaiians can likely expect to see increased surf this weekend with the potential for strong winds and torrential rain, particularly on Sunday.
A flash flood watch was posted for much of Hawaii in anticipation of the storm’s heavy rainfall.
Historical Hawaiian Hurricanes
With few exceptions, high surf and heavy rainfall are generally the worst impacts from tropical cyclones to Hawaii. Despite being surrounded by warm, tropical waters, landfalling hurricanes on the Hawaiian Islands are actually quite uncommon.
The most memorable, Iniki in 1994, made a direct strike to the island of Kaua’i as a category four storm. Packing winds of 145 mph, the storm caused billions of dollars in damages to the islands and leaves a lasting memory for residents.
Although the islands manage to dodge most hurricanes, tropical storms and remnant circulations impact Hawaii much more frequently.
Most recently, Hurricane Olivia rapidly weakened as it approached the islands in 2018. As a minimal tropical storm, Olivia actually became the first tropical cyclone on record to make landfall on the island of Maui.
