Tropical Storm Flossie Heads Toward Hawaii

July 28,2013





Tropical storm watches and warnings have been issued as Tropical Storm Flossie continues its westward march toward the Hawaii.
Flossie, the sixth named storm of the eastern Pacific hurricane season, formed just over 1000 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Wednesday.
Flossie is now tracking due west over the central Pacific Ocean, putting it on a collision course with America's 50th state.
The forecast path includes parts of the Hawaiian Islands, starting with the "Big Island" of Hawaii on Monday. However, drier air, increased wind shear, and somewhat cooler water is expected to have a weakening effect on Flossie before it arrives.
Nonetheless, a tropical storm warning is in effect for Hawaii County and Maui County, and a tropical storm watch is in effect for the island of Oahu, including Honolulu.
Flossie is expected to be a relatively weak tropical storm or tropical depression by the time it reaches the Hawaiian Islands Monday. This means an increase in showers, higher swells reaching east-facing shores, and an attendant threat of rip currents. 
People in the Hawaiian Islands should continue to monitor Flossie and prepare for inclement weather. While we are not expecting Flossie to be a hurricane, the following preparedness tips are a good reminder:
It's worth noting of 19 named storms that have tracked near the Hawaiian Islands since 1957:

• Only four remained at hurricane strength within 65 nautical miles, most notably Iniki (1992).  
• Three of those four hurricanes approached the islands from the south or southeast.  
• Only Kanoa (1957) was able to survive as a hurricane pushing due westward at a latitude equal or as far north as the Big Island.  (Though, according to NHC's best track database, it never made it as a hurricane to the Big Island.)
• The large majority of those named storms had weakened to either a tropical storm, depression or remnant low when approaching the islands from the east, at a latitude at least as far north as the Big Island.  

Coincidentally, in 2007, the center of Hurricane Flossie passed just 100 miles south of the Big Island on August 14. However, impacts on land were not severe. Eastern Pacific tropical cyclone names are recycled every six years except for those destructive enough to be retired.

Projected Path

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Projected Path

The latest forecast path and wind speeds from the National Hurricane Center.

Storm Information

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Current Information

So, where exactly is the cyclone's center located now? If you're plotting the storm along with us, click on the "Current Information" map below to get the latitude/longitude coordinates, distance away from the nearest land location, maximum sustained winds and central pressure (measured in millibars).

Satellite

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Satellite

Click the magnifying glass to enlarge the image at left. Infrared satellite imagery is a sampling of the temperature of cloud tops. Brighter orange and red shadings signify colder cloud tops, indicative of healthy convection. If this is concentrated near the center of circulation, this signifies a healthy or intensifying tropical cyclone.

Watches and Warnings

Watches and Warnings

A tropical storm or hurricane watch means tropical storm or hurricane conditions, respectively, are possible in the specified area within 48 hours. A tropical storm or hurricane warning means tropical storm or hurricane conditions, respectively, are expected in the specified area within 36 hours.

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