Big Island of Hawaii Braces for Category 3 Hurricane, Sustains 5.3 Earthquake

The National Weather Service has placed the Big Island under a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning. In addition, this morning the Island reported a magnitude 5.3 Earthquake, just 25 miles south of Hilo. No damage has been reported.

Meteorologists are watching Flossie, a category 3 Hurricane that is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain to the Hawaiian Islands early August 14th. Hurricane Flossie was downgraded from a category 4 to a category 3 on Monday and forecasters are still hoping that it will continue to weaken to a category 1 before it reaches the Big Island, which has 150,000 inhabitants.

The storm should pass 100 miles below the southern tip of the island where there is little or no tourism. The weather service reports that Hilo and the Kohala coast will sustain tropical storm level rains, as long as the storm stays on its current course. All 56 schools on the Big Island are closed today.Travelers should limit travel and sightseeing on Tuesday, August 14, 2007. Expect weather-related delays at the airports.

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