Hurricane Douglas: Parts of Hawaii brace for Category 1 storm

Officials told Hawaii residents on Sunday to brace for a category 1 hurricane barreling towards the islands with 90 mile per hour winds and flash flood warnings.

On Sunday morning the islands were bracing, with Maui expecting to be hit first, Oahu by the afternoon and Kauai and Niihau by the evening, the National Hurricane Center said. The Island of Hawaii is under a tropical storm warning.

“Heavy rainfall associated with Douglas is expected to affect portions of the main Hawaiian Islands from early this morning into Monday,” the center forecast, warning residents of up to 15 inches of rain in elevated parts of the islands. Officials warned the heavy rainfall could produce flash floods, and said even for the areas under tropical storm warnings, “the steep terrain of the islands” make “hurricane-force winds” possible.

Hurricane DouglasNOAA

“Large breaking waves will raise water levels by as much as 3 feet above normal tides near the center,” the center warned, saying the waves would bring a dangerous storm surge.

City and state parks closed throughout the islands on Sunday, as some grocery stores and markets shuttered early. Anyone camping at Oahu city parks was told the leave, and some tourist destinations were closed as well.

The storm comes at the state experiences a surge in COVID-19 cases. The state recorded its third straight single-day record Saturday, according to NBC Hawaii affiliate KHNL, with 73 new cases reported. Of those, 68 were found on Oahu and five on Maui, where the storm is expected to have an impact.

source: nbcnews.com