Douglas weakens slightly, but remains on track for Hawaii
By
Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Jul 22, 2020 4:51 PM EDT
Hurricanes do form in the Pacific as well, but Hawaii rarely gets hit by one despite being located in the middle of the ocean.
A state of emergency has been issued for Hawaii by Gov. David Ige as the state braces for potentially significant impacts from powerful Hurricane Douglas.
Douglas exploded into a Category 4 hurricane over the middle of the East Pacific Ocean late Thursday, but by early Friday, the intense hurricane had weakened a bit and dropped back to a Category 3. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, and trucking along west-northwestward at a speed of 18 mph as of 5 a.m. HST Friday. Douglas was located about 895 miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii and 1,100 miles east-southeast of the state capital of Honolulu.
"I issued a pre-landfall emergency proclamation as the state prepares for possible impacts from #HurricaneDouglas. This authorizes the expenditure of state funds for the quick & efficient relief of disaster-related damage, losses & suffering from the storm," Ige wrote on Twitter Thursday. "Our top priority is always the safety, health and well-being of our residents and visitors. Please take immediate steps to protect your families, loved ones, employees and property."
The Western Hemisphere was devoid of hurricanes since the 2020 tropical season kicked off on May 15 in the East Pacific and June 1 in the Atlantic. However, that changed early Wednesday when Douglas strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane.
Major Hurricane Douglas churned across the eastern Pacific on Friday morning, July 24, 2020 about 1,000 miles east of Hawaii. A well-defined eye was visible on satellite images of the storm. (NOAA / GOES-WEST)
On Wednesday evening, Douglas rapidly intensified into a Category 2 hurricane, and by early Thursday morning, Douglas strengthened into the first major hurricane of the season (Category 3 strength of higher). The powerful storm had a well-defined eye as seen on satellite images on Thursday morning.
"Douglas will remain a major hurricane before the system moves over cooler waters and begins to lose wind intensity later Friday and into the weekend," stated AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Rob Miller.
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Later in the week, Douglas is forecast to move northwestward, out of the core of warmer waters and into the Central Pacific Ocean Basin. This will cause the storm to gradually lose strength. Shipping interests in the area should be aware of gusty winds, downpours and rough seas.
This more northwesterly track is seeming to take Douglas on a rare path toward the Hawaiian Islands by the beginning of next week.
"All interests in Hawaii should monitor the progress of this system as it may pass very close to, or even across, the island chain sometime Sunday or early Monday," added Miller. "Impacts to Hawaii will depend upon how quickly Douglas loses wind strength as well as the exact track through or near the islands."
Douglas may begin to produce impacts late Saturday night and approach the Big Island as a Category 1 Hurricane before possibly moving over the state as a tropical storm Sunday through Monday.
Locally gusty winds can reach the Big Island starting late Saturday night as the storm nears the islands. Winds of up to 40 to 50 mph with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 60 mph near the center of Douglas are expected to lash across parts of Maui and the Big Island as the storm treks through the state Saturday night through Monday. Winds of this magnitude can cause minor tree damage and power outages.
Even just a brief brush from a tropical depression or storm could lead to rougher surf and strong waves for exposed beaches. If Douglas holds together enough, the tropical system could bring waves of heavy rainfall to parts of the island chain, especially the Big Island.
According to Miller, if Douglas tracks directly over Hawaii, it could bring heavy rainfall that can cause flash flooding, mudslides and locally strong winds. Douglas is forecast to be less than one on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes.
Rain from Douglas is expected to arrive in Hawaii late Saturday night or early Sunday. The Big Island will be the first to see these impacts from Douglas before they move to Maui and spread to the other islands into the beginning of next week.
Douglas was the second of two tropical waves that strengthened into tropical depressions in less than 12 hours on Monday. The first wave strengthened to Tropical Depression 7-E early Monday but became a non-tropical low on Tuesday after entering cooler waters.
Warm water is one of the prime ingredients needed for tropical systems to form and hold their strength.
Tropical Storm Cristina, which traversed the East Pacific earlier in July, nearly became the first hurricane of 2020, but it fell just short of Category 1 hurricane strength.
The Atlantic Ocean basin has also been without a hurricane so far this season, but it is still breaking records following the development of Tropical Storm Gonzalo on Wednesday. AccuWeather meteorologists are also monitoring another potential tropical threat in the Gulf of Mexico.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Hurricane
Douglas weakens slightly, but remains on track for Hawaii
By Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Jul 22, 2020 4:51 PM EDT
Hurricanes do form in the Pacific as well, but Hawaii rarely gets hit by one despite being located in the middle of the ocean.
A state of emergency has been issued for Hawaii by Gov. David Ige as the state braces for potentially significant impacts from powerful Hurricane Douglas.
Douglas exploded into a Category 4 hurricane over the middle of the East Pacific Ocean late Thursday, but by early Friday, the intense hurricane had weakened a bit and dropped back to a Category 3. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, and trucking along west-northwestward at a speed of 18 mph as of 5 a.m. HST Friday. Douglas was located about 895 miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii and 1,100 miles east-southeast of the state capital of Honolulu.
"I issued a pre-landfall emergency proclamation as the state prepares for possible impacts from #HurricaneDouglas. This authorizes the expenditure of state funds for the quick & efficient relief of disaster-related damage, losses & suffering from the storm," Ige wrote on Twitter Thursday. "Our top priority is always the safety, health and well-being of our residents and visitors. Please take immediate steps to protect your families, loved ones, employees and property."
The Western Hemisphere was devoid of hurricanes since the 2020 tropical season kicked off on May 15 in the East Pacific and June 1 in the Atlantic. However, that changed early Wednesday when Douglas strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane.
Major Hurricane Douglas churned across the eastern Pacific on Friday morning, July 24, 2020 about 1,000 miles east of Hawaii. A well-defined eye was visible on satellite images of the storm. (NOAA / GOES-WEST)
On Wednesday evening, Douglas rapidly intensified into a Category 2 hurricane, and by early Thursday morning, Douglas strengthened into the first major hurricane of the season (Category 3 strength of higher). The powerful storm had a well-defined eye as seen on satellite images on Thursday morning.
"Douglas will remain a major hurricane before the system moves over cooler waters and begins to lose wind intensity later Friday and into the weekend," stated AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Rob Miller.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Later in the week, Douglas is forecast to move northwestward, out of the core of warmer waters and into the Central Pacific Ocean Basin. This will cause the storm to gradually lose strength. Shipping interests in the area should be aware of gusty winds, downpours and rough seas.
This more northwesterly track is seeming to take Douglas on a rare path toward the Hawaiian Islands by the beginning of next week.
"All interests in Hawaii should monitor the progress of this system as it may pass very close to, or even across, the island chain sometime Sunday or early Monday," added Miller. "Impacts to Hawaii will depend upon how quickly Douglas loses wind strength as well as the exact track through or near the islands."
Douglas may begin to produce impacts late Saturday night and approach the Big Island as a Category 1 Hurricane before possibly moving over the state as a tropical storm Sunday through Monday.
Locally gusty winds can reach the Big Island starting late Saturday night as the storm nears the islands. Winds of up to 40 to 50 mph with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 60 mph near the center of Douglas are expected to lash across parts of Maui and the Big Island as the storm treks through the state Saturday night through Monday. Winds of this magnitude can cause minor tree damage and power outages.
Even just a brief brush from a tropical depression or storm could lead to rougher surf and strong waves for exposed beaches. If Douglas holds together enough, the tropical system could bring waves of heavy rainfall to parts of the island chain, especially the Big Island.
According to Miller, if Douglas tracks directly over Hawaii, it could bring heavy rainfall that can cause flash flooding, mudslides and locally strong winds. Douglas is forecast to be less than one on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes.
Rain from Douglas is expected to arrive in Hawaii late Saturday night or early Sunday. The Big Island will be the first to see these impacts from Douglas before they move to Maui and spread to the other islands into the beginning of next week.
Related:
Douglas was the second of two tropical waves that strengthened into tropical depressions in less than 12 hours on Monday. The first wave strengthened to Tropical Depression 7-E early Monday but became a non-tropical low on Tuesday after entering cooler waters.
Warm water is one of the prime ingredients needed for tropical systems to form and hold their strength.
Tropical Storm Cristina, which traversed the East Pacific earlier in July, nearly became the first hurricane of 2020, but it fell just short of Category 1 hurricane strength.
The Atlantic Ocean basin has also been without a hurricane so far this season, but it is still breaking records following the development of Tropical Storm Gonzalo on Wednesday. AccuWeather meteorologists are also monitoring another potential tropical threat in the Gulf of Mexico.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo