Heavy rain caused by Hurricane Ana flooded some roads on Hawaii’s Big Island Saturday, but tropical storm warnings were lifted for some parts of the state as the storm passed south of the island chain.
The hurricane was more than a hundred miles southwest of Oahu, the island on which Honolulu is located, Saturday afternoon and was on track to pass by Kauai before weakening to a tropical storm. The National Weather Service warned that high winds could produce damaging surf. The hurricane, which had sustained winds of 80 miles per hour, was 155 miles southwest of the Big Island when it passed by at around 5 a.m. and had weakened slightly. By 2 p.m. local time, the hurricane was 140 miles southwest of Honolulu, the NWS said.
Two roads on the Big Island were shut down by flooding as the hurricane passed, Hawaii County Civil Defense said on its website, but were reopened by the afternoon. Forecasters also warned of the possibility of 12-feet-high waves and mudslides. Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie declared a state of emergency in anticipation of the storm and the Red Cross opened up emergency shelters Friday.
Ana is the second major storm system to brush by the island chain in as many months. Tropical Storm Iselle, followed by Hurricane Julio, battered parts of the state in August, lashing the islands with rain and heavy winds and knocking down trees.