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CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER
The forecast track of Hurricane Olivia as of 11 p.m. HST Tuesday.
CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER
The forecast track of Hurricane Norman as of 11 p.m. Tuesday.
UPDATE: 11 p.m.
Hurricane Norman has intensified as it moves far east of the islands.
At 11 p.m., Norman was moving westward near 12 mph about 555 miles east of Hilo and about 740 miles east of Honolulu.
Norman is expected to turn toward the west-northwest on Wednesday and remain a hurricane through Thursday night.
Maximum sustained winds are near 90 mph with higher gusts. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles.
Olivia has weakend some but still remains a Category 3 hurricane.
Olivia is moving toward the west near 12 mph about 2,220 miles east of Hilo and about 2,415 miles east-southeast of Honolulu.
Forecasters said a turn toward the west-northwest is expected later tonight, followed by a gradual turn back toward the west over the weekend.
Maximum sustained winds are near 115 mph with higher gusts. Olivia is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles.
5 p.m.
Hurricane Norman is maintaining its intensity and continues to move westward.
The Category 1 hurricane, with winds at 80 mph, is located 625 miles east of Hilo and 810 miles east of Honolulu. It is moving toward the west at 12 mph and a continued westward motion with a decrease in forward speed is expected tonight. Hurricane-force winds extend up to 25 miles from the center and tropical storm-force winds extend up to 105 miles, forecasters with the Central Pacific Hurricane Center said.
They said Norman will turn toward the west-northwest on Wednesday, then turn toward the northwest on Wednesday night and Thursday. The storm is still expected to pass a few hundred miles northeast of the islands later this week as a weakening tropical storm.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Olivia is intensifying and moving to the west at 12 mph. Olivia, a Category 3 hurricane with winds at 125 mph, is about 2,300 miles east-southeast of Hilo at 5 p.m. Hurricane-force winds of 74 mph or more extend up to 25 miles from the center and tropical storm-force winds of 39 mph or more extend out 90 miles, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, which monitors the Eastern Pacific.
Some slow weakening is expected to begin on Wednesday and continue for the next few days. Olivia is also expected to move toward the west-northwest Wednesday night and Thursday, and weaken to a tropical storm after it reaches the Central Pacific this weekend.
4:20 p.m.
The National Weather Service in Honolulu is issuing high surf warnings for most Hawaiian islands as Hurricane Norman moves closer to the state.
“A large east swell associated with Hurricane Norman is expected to start spreading across the eastern end of the island chain tonight,” forecasters said late this afternoon. “Surf along the east-facing shores of the Big Island and Maui will likely see surf rise to advisory levels this evening and to warning levels by Wednesday. Surf along east-facing shores of Molokai, Oahu, and Kauai will likely see surf rise to advisory levels Wednesday, and to warning levels by Thursday. The swell is expected to peak Thursday into Thursday night.”
According to the weather service, the high surf warning for eastern shores of Maui and the Big Island is in effect until 6 a.m. HST Friday, with waves increasing to 8 to 12 feet late tonight, 10 to 15 feet Wednesday, and 12 to 18 feet late Wednesday and Thursday. The warning for east-facing shores Molokai, Oahu, and Kauai is in effect from 6 a.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Friday, with waves increasing to 6 to 10 feet Wednesday, 8 to 12 feet Wednesday night, and 10 to 15 feet Thursday.
Norman is expected to pass northeast of the islands as a weakening tropical storm this weekend.
4 p.m.
The National Weather Service in Honolulu has issued a high surf advisory for eastern shores of Hawaii island as Hurricane Norman, hundreds of miles to the east, churns up the ocean.
Surf will continue to build and could reach warning levels overnight and into Wednesday, forecasters said. Localized winds may also increase in some areas through Thursday.
Hawaii County officials said that boat owners should take measures to secure their vessels until the danger passes; oceanfront residents should be alert for high and dangerous surf conditions; and affected residents and businesses should complete preparations before nightfall.
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center said that at about 11 a.m., Category 1 Hurricane Norman was 690 miles east of Hilo with sustained winds of 80 mph moving west at 14 mph. The storm is expected to start moving northwest Wednesday and pass hundreds of miles northeast of the islands as a weakening tropical storm this weekend.
Because of the approaching storm, the National Weather Service has issued a hurricane warning for Hawaiian offshore waters from 40 nautical miles out to 240 nautical miles, including the portion of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument east of French Frigate Shoals.
Further to the east, Hurricane Olivia is a major Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 120 mph about 2,300 miles southeast of Hilo. Hurricane-force winds extend up to 25 miles from the center and tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, which monitors the Eastern Pacific. It was moving west at 12 mph late this morning.
Olivia is expected to start weakening late Wednesday, entering the Central Pacific this weekend as a tropical storm. Olivia is too far from Hawaii to predict any possible impact on island weather next week.
11 a.m.
Norman weakened slightly this morning but still remains a Category 1 hurricane headed west toward the Hawaiian Islands.
Located about 690 miles east of Hilo and 870 miles east of Honolulu, Norman was clocked moving west at 14 mph with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph at 11 a.m., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
A continued westward motion with a decrease in forward speed is expected through tonight, followed by a turn to the west-northwest on Wednesday, and to the northwest on Wednesday night.
Little change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours, with Norman expected to remain a hurricane through early Thursday.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from Norman’s center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles.
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Norman continued to spin toward Hawaii this morning as a Category 1 hurricane.
Located about 760 miles east of Hilo and 940 miles east of Honolulu, Norman was clocked moving west at 17 mph with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph at 5 a.m., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
A westward motion with a decrease in forward speed is expected to continue through tonight, followed by a turn to the west-northwest on Wednesday, and to the northwest on Wednesday night, forecasters said.
Little change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours, with Norman forecast to remain a hurricane through Wednesday night.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles.
Additionally, a large swell produced by Norman will produce rough surf along east-facing shores of the Hawaiian Islands beginning later today and continuing through at least Thursday night.
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