Hurricane Norman to Hit Hawaii

Hawaii is gearing for another hurricane, which is unlikely to trigger downpours as heavy as a recent storm in the islands.    

Hurricane Norman is currently a powerful Category 4 storm as it hurtles along the Pacific Ocean this week, the Express reported.

Wind speeds are reaching 209 kilometers per hour, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

Early on Monday, Norman was 2,700 km east of Hilo and was moving west-northwest near 28 kph.

The National Hurricane Center said the storm will keep moving in this direction during the next couple of days but will then start to slow down as the week gets on.

By the end of the week, Norman will get near to Hawaii as a weak hurricane and then pass to the north of the islands.

Last week, Hawaii was battered by Hurricane Lane, which was downgraded to a tropical storm on Thursday.

The storm poured more than one meter of rainfall over parts of Big Island.

The tropical storm broke records for the amount of rainfall, as a Category 5 hurricane had never before come as close to Hawaii as Lane did.

However, forecasters do not believe Norman will repeat Lane's lashing of torrential rain.

Norman will also be a tropical storm when it tracks north of the islands later in the week.

Tracking north will also keep the heaviest rain from Norman away from the islands.

People are advised to keep away from dangerous and choppy seas stirred around Hawaii by Norman.

The National Weather Service in Honolulu said, "Consensus models continue to keep the track of the Hurricane passing northeast of the Hawaiian Islands.

"The track of Norman may block the trade winds keeping a light overnight land and afternoon sea breeze regime in place over each island.

"Scattered showers are possible each afternoon mainly over mountain and island interior sections.

"It remains too soon to determine any local impact that Norman may have on Hawaiian weather."

Elsewhere, Hurricane Miriam has now weakened into a tropical depression and is now far east-northeast of the Hawaiian Islands.

Once Norman passes, Tropical Storm Olivia, which is 70 km south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, will also develop into hurricane strength.