Pacific hurricane winds near 132 mph
Pastor Dale Morgan
Pacific hurricane winds near 132 mph*
* Story Highlights
* Hurricane Flossie strengthens to Category 4
* Storm churns in waters 1,100 miles south of Hawaii
* Big Island could see 8- to 12-foot surf Monday, Tuesday
HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) -- Hurricane Flossie strengthened to a Category 4
storm Saturday as it spun more than 1,000 miles south of Hawaii.
At 11 a.m. EDT, Flossie had intensified with maximum sustained winds
near 132 mph, and was about 1,100 miles southeast of Hilo, Hawaii.
Flossie was upgraded to Category 3 from a Category 1 overnight.
The storm was expected to weaken later in the day as it passed over
cooler waters. It was traveling west at about 12 mph.
Jeff Powell, lead forecaster at the National Weather Service in
Honolulu, said Flossie hadn't changed its course and was expected to
pass the Hawaiian Islands early Wednesday with rough surf. A "ramp up"
of surf on the Big Island was expected late Monday.
The island's southeastern shores could see waves of 8 to 12 feet,
forecasters said, with the surf rising during the day Monday and peaking
Tuesday. The island's South Point is the southernmost area of the United
States.
State civil defense officials urged residents to be prepared because of
the unpredictable nature of hurricanes. A one or two degree direction
change, they say, could make a big difference.
"If this thing fizzles out, so what? Everybody should still be
prepared," said Dave Curtis, spokesman for the state Civil Defense Agency.
Flossie formed as a tropical storm Wednesday about halfway between
Mexico's southern Pacific coast and Hawaii. Its winds surpassed 74 mph,
making it a hurricane, on Friday.
The last time a hurricane hit Hawaii was in 1992, when Iniki ravaged
Kauai, killing six people and causing $2.5 billion in damage.
Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. In May, forecasters
predicted that Hawaii and the rest of the central Pacific face a
slightly below-average hurricane season, with just two or three tropical
cyclones expected because of lower sea surface temperatures. Video Watch
what's behind the revised forecast »
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The islands get an average of 4.5 tropical cyclones a year and one
hurricane about every 15 years. Last year, the central Pacific had five
tropical cyclones after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration predicted two to three.
On July 21, a tropical depression moved past the Big Island, bringing a
few inches of rain to the parched island but no major problems. Cosme,
the year's first Pacific tropical cyclone, reached hurricane status for
a day before it weakened.