A Hurricane Watch has been issued for the Big Island of Hawaii and for Maui County, including Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe.
At 11:00 AM HST (2100 UTC), the center of Hurricane Douglas was located near latitude 17.0 North, longitude 143.5 West. Douglas is moving toward the west-northwest near 18 mph (30 km/h). This motion is expected to continue for the next two days, followed by a slight decrease in forward speed and a turn toward the west. On the forecast track, Douglas will be near the main Hawaiian Islands on Sunday and Monday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 115 mph (185 km/h) with higher gusts. Douglas is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Gradual and steady weakening is expected to continue through the weekend. However, Douglas is still forecast to be near hurricane strength when it nears the islands.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles (35 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles (185 km).
A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area, in this case within 36 to 48 hours.
Interests elsewhere in the Hawaiian Islands should monitor the progress of this system
HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND WIND: Hurricane conditions are possible on the Big Island late Saturday night and Sunday, with tropical storm conditions possible by Saturday evening. Hurricane conditions are possible over Maui county Sunday, with tropical storm conditions possible beginning late Saturday night.
SURF: Large swells generated by Douglas are expected to begin affecting portions of the Hawaiian Islands on Saturday. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions for a couple of days.
RAINFALL: Heavy rainfall associated with Douglas is expected to affect portions of the Hawaiian Islands from late Saturday night through Monday. Total rain accumulations of 6 to 10 inches with isolated maximum totals of 15 inches are possible, especially in higher terrain. This rain may result in life-threatening flash flooding and land slides.
