We are waiting for the storm to hit. It is about an hour away. At the moment we just have light winds. We will see what happens.
Expectations for Tropical Storm Felicia diminished from a threat of devastation to a promise of heavy rainfall for Maui and Oahu today as the former Category 4 hurricane slowed in its westward path past the island chain.
“The real story at this point is not the intensity of wind, but that we are going to get a great deal of rain,” said Jim Weyman, director of the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. “We can expect 2 or 3 inches, with showers locally up to 5 inches. As long as the rain doesn’t come down hard, it could be beneficial.
“Just because it’s downgraded, people shouldn’t relax their preparedness,” he said. A flash flood watch for Oahu and Maui counties remains in effect, as is a high-surf advisory.
“We will see high surf even if Felicia is downgraded; it had a long period of time pushing the surf before it reached the islands,” Weyman said.
City lifeguards reported two rescues at Sandy Beach and three rescues and five assists at Makapuu.
Maui County planned to open nine shelters last night on Maui, Molokai and Lanai as the edge of the swirling weather system was expected to bring the first showers early this morning.
The National Weather Service said the storm will be over Maui by late morning and pass south of Oahu late this afternoon.
