Tropical Depression
Fernanda continued to weaken as it approached
Hawaii on Friday.
At 5 p.m. Fernanda was about 675 miles east of Hilo and 865 miles east of Honolulu, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.
Fernanda started the day as a tropical storm before being downgraded and
was generating maximum sustained winds of 35 miles per hour and moving west-northwest at 9 mph.
Fernanda is expected to continue on its current path until it dissipates Monday.
The storm peaked as a Category 4 hurricane in the Eastern Pacific last weekend, but has been fading as it moves over cooler waters and faces wind shear.
A high-surf advisory is
in effect for eastern shores of all the major Hawaiian
Islands except Lanai and
Niihau until noon Monday, with waves of 5 to 9 feet expected. Forecasters said beachgoers should be alert for choppy surf, powerful rip currents and strong shore breaks that will make swimming dangerous.
The high surf coincided with this summer’s last episode of so-called king tides that could lead to coastal flooding today through
Monday.
“The greatest potential
for coastal flooding impacts will be during the mid-
to late-afternoon hours through Monday, when the highest tides are expected,” National Weather Service forecasters in Honolulu said. King tides are a combination of higher-than-usual high tides and higher sea level.
While Fernanda is dissipating far from the islands, the storm system still might cut off trade winds over the weekend, making for humid conditions.
Farther from Hawaii, in the Eastern Pacific, Tropical Storm Greg had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph as of 5 p.m. Friday. According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm is not likely to significantly strengthen as it moves west over the weekend.
Closer to Central America, Tropical Depression Nine-E has formed and is expected to become a hurricane by Sunday as it moves northwest parallel to the Mexican coast.