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11 A.M. UPDATE: Maui County and Hawaii island were placed under hurricane watch this morning as Category 3 Hurricane Douglas approaches the state.
Douglas around 11 a.m. today was located 785 miles east-southeast of Hilo or 985 miles east-southeast of Honolulu with maximum sustained winds near 115 mph with higher gusts. It is moving west-northwest at 18 mph, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.
A hurricane watch means hurricane-force winds are possible within the next 48 hours, according to National Weather Service.
Douglas is anticipated to bring large swells to certain shores Saturday. Tropical storm conditions with heavy rainfall is expected for Maui County as early as Saturday night, forecasters said.
5 A.M. UPDATE: Douglas continued to track toward Hawaii as a category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center said in its 5 a.m. Friday update.
The hurricane, which weakened slightly overnight, was 1,000 miles east southeast of Kahului and 970 miles east southeast of Hana.
Douglas was moving west northwest at 18 mph and was expected to continue on this path for the next few days with a gradual decrease in forward speed and a slight turn toward the west, the hurricane center said.
On the forecast track, Douglas will approach the eastern Hawaiian Islands late Saturday night or Sunday.
Gradual weakening is expected to continue Friday through the weekend, but Douglas is still forecast to be near hurricane strength as it approaches Hawaii island and Maui County, the hurricane center said. The forecast model had winds estimated at 80 mph Sunday morning.
Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 25 miles from the
center and tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 115 miles.
The effects of Douglas are expected to be felt as early as late Saturday with high wind, large swells and surf, and heavy rain with accumulations in the 6 to 10 inch range, the hurricane center said.
The National Weather Service forecast Friday said that “the most likely arrival time of tropical storm force wind” is early Sunday morning for Hawaii island and Maui County and late Sunday for the western end of the island chain.
Breezy trade conditions will prevail into Saturday as high pressure remains anchored north of the islands, the weather service said.
No coastal warnings currently are in effect.
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