Hurricane Flossie Headed Toward Hawaii

This NOAA satellite image taken at 4 a.m. EDT Saturday Aug. 11, 2007 shows hurricane Flossie. Flossie strengthened to a Category 3 storm early Saturday, as it headed toward waters south of Hawaii. At 5 a.m. EDT on Saturday, it had maximum sustained winds near 115 mph, traveling west at about 12 mph and is currently 1157 miles from Hilo Hawaii. It was expected to weaken as it passed over cooler waters. (AP Photo/NOAA) (AP)

HONOLULU -- Hurricane Flossie packed 135 mph wind as it spun closer to Hawaii on Sunday, but forecasters predicted the Category 4 storm would weaken before passing by the islands later this week.

The hurricane was expected to pass about 70 miles south of the island of Hawaii late Tuesday or early Wednesday, but by then cooler water should weaken it to a Category 1 hurricane, with winds of at least 74 mph.

But even a slight change of course in the unpredictable storm could bring it closer to land.

"Everyone in the Hawaiian islands is urged to continue monitoring the progress of Hurricane Flossie," the Central Pacific Hurricane Center said in a statement. "A northward shift in the track could potentially bring hurricane conditions to the Big Island."

At 11 p.m. EDT, Flossie was 665 miles east-southeast of Hilo, and had maximum sustained wind near 135 mph with gusts reaching 161. It was traveling west at about 14 mph.

Emergency workers mobilized Sunday afternoon to prepare for the potentially devastating hurricane, Big Island Mayor Harry Kim said.

"You always prepare for the worst case scenario and hope for the best," Kim said.

Two Air Force WC-130 hurricane tracker aircraft were dispatched from Mississippi and flew into the storm to gather measurements Sunday afternoon, said Roy Matsuda, lead forecaster at the Honolulu office of the National Weather Service.

"The weakening process looks much slower. It will keep more of its juice," Matsuda said. "It won't be a tropical storm. It'll be a weak or minimal hurricane."

Even though the eye of the storm may miss the Hawaiian islands, Flossie could still bring strong wind and heavy rain to the islands, forecasters said.

The southeastern shore of the Big Island of Hawaii 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.

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 said the Hawaiian islands and the rest of the central Pacific faced a slightly below-average hurricane season, with just two or three tropical cyclones expected because of lower sea surface temperatures.

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.