Hurricane Flossie Fizzles to Tropical Storm

After threatening the city of Hilo and the southern side of the Big Island of Hawaii on Monday and Tuesday, Tropical Storm Flossie, formerly Hurricane Flossie, has veered westward away from the Hawaiian chain. Flossie was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm as of 8 p.m. last night (Wed. Aug 14), according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC).

At present (3 p.m. Hawaiian Standard Time, Wed Aug 14), Flossie's center is located about 280 miles south of Honolulu and is moving westward about 12 MPH, said the CPHC. Flossie is expected to continue its westward movement for the next 24 hours.

Flossie brought intermittent heavy showers to the Big Island yesterday. Most schools, state agencies, and many businesses on the Island were closed in anticipation of nature's assault. State parks and hiking trails were also closed. While many schools remained closed today, many businesses reopened, said the Honolulu Advertiser.

Also yesterday, my wife and I were visiting my father in Keaau, located about 10 miles outside of Hilo, the Big Island' s capital city. We spent the day at my dad's home, hunkered up inside waiting for Flossie to unleash its fury. But the fury never happened. Aside from a steady all-day drizzle interspersed with heavy downpours, the predicted strong winds never materialized.

High surf, with some waves reportedly over 20 feet, pummeled the island' s south-facing coastline, said the Honolulu Advertiser. No deaths or injuries were reported.

This morning, after a smooth and uneventful flight from Hilo, my wife and I returned to Honolulu to find that the Big Island's all-day drizzle has arrived here on Oahu. Here in our Kaneohe home, it has been raining steadily but not heavily for the past six hours.

The rainfall on Oahu is good news for local firefighters, who, according to the Honolulu Advertiser, are battling a brushfire that has charred over 6500 acres on Oahu's northernwestern side. The fire has been burning for four days. Two schools, Makaha Elementary and Waianae High, are closed today as a result of the blaze.

Up to 150 firefighters, along with personnel from the state Department of Forestry and the city's Department of Public Works, have been battling the blaze, which as of 3:00 pm HST, is 45% contained, said Honolulu Fire Department Captain Terry Seelig, as quoted in the Honolulu Advertiser. Seeling said crews have "good perimeter containment" of the fire, and are concentrating on hot spots to prevent further flare-ups and spreading.