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Tropical Storm Daniel has slowed as winds intensified once again to near hurricane levels, but the latest forecast predicts it will pass north of all islands by midnight Wednesday.
The storm has regained
strength, reaching near-
hurricane force
Maui will be the first island to feel
the effect sometime this evening
By Treena Shapiro
STORM UPDATES ON BREAKING NEWS
Star-BulletinWhile the 70 mph winds are only 4 mph shy of a Category 1 hurricane, the national weather service predicts the storm will hold steady for 12 hours, then slowly diminish. When the storm reaches Oahu early tomorrow morning, winds will be at 45 to 55 mph, and 2 to 3 inches of rain are expected.
"This guy is kind of stubborn, he doesn't want to go away," said National Weather Service hydrologist Kevin Kodama.
At 11 a.m., the storm was 150 miles east of Kahului, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph and gusts up to 85 mph. It was moving west at 8 mph, and extends 90 miles from the center.
Effects should be felt on Maui early this evening, and they should feel the storm through early tomorrow morning. The storm will pass as close as 75 miles north of Maui, producing 40 to 50 mph winds on Maui and 2 to 3 inches of rain.
The storm is expected to pass 10 miles north of Kauai instead of directly over the island's north coast as predicted in an earlier forecast. However, at noon tomorrow, the island could start feeling 50 to 60 mph winds and the island will receive 4 to 6 inches of rain.The Big Island has missed the effect of the storm almost entirely, aside from 8 to 12 foot waves yesterday.
The high surf advisory has been dropped for Hawaii County, but all other islands can expect 8 to 12 foot waves on east-facing shores, 4 to 8 foot waves on north shores and 3 to 5 foot waves on all south shores.
Tropical storm warnings remain in effect for Maui County and Oahu and a tropical storm warning has been posted for Kauai.
This morning on Maui, it was the calm before the expected storm, as clouds dissipated slightly, revealing blue skies over parts of Maui, Molokai and Lanai.
A slight rain fell upon parts of the three islands during the night and brought some relief to parched sections of Maui County.
"We had a nice shower this morning. It lasted 5 minutes," Lanai resident Phyllis McOmber said. "We're praying for rains to come. We're so dry. We could use rain but not all at once."
Residents along the eastern shoreline, including Hana and and east Molokai, said the waves have been increasing along the reefs, reaching heights of three to four feet.
Cherie Hanchett, manager of Tutu's restaurant at Hana Bay, said she saw lightning to the east last night but there was only a slight rain last night.
Nonemergency county, state and federal personnel were granted administrative leave on Maui today and all eight public schools in session on Maui and Molokai were closed.
The storm's passage has prompted the state Civil Defense Agency to cancel its monthly civil defense tests scheduled for tomorrow.
On Maui this morning, the weather remained muggy and low gray clouds hung over the central valley, shrouding the West Maui Mountains and Haleakala, with a slight rain falling occasionally.
Civil defense administrator Kyle Watanabe said there has been slight rain but no heavy flooding or high winds on Molokai, Lanai and Maui.
"We haven't gotten any report as far as heavy rains," Watanabe said. "It's muggy and still but no reports of foul weather."
Along the shoreline, some businesses are taking precautions.
Shopping activity at some stores was up from normal, with residents buying bottled water, batteries, flashlights, and fuel to light lamps and propane stoves.
At K-Mart, business was brisk yesterday, more than 15 percent above a normal Sunday, said assistant manager Jarett Chytka.
Maui correspondent Gary Kubota contributed to this report.
