Olaf intensified into a Category 2 hurricane Sunday and continues to gather strength as it moves toward the Central Pacific Ocean and closer to Hawaii waters.
Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center have Olaf on track to turn west-northwest and into cooler waters by today or Tuesday. They emphasize that it is still too early to know how close the storm will actually come to Hawaii and whether it will affect the state’s weather.
At 5 p.m. Sunday, Olaf was 1,485 miles east-southeast of Hilo, moving west at 12 mph. Maximum sustained winds were measured at 100 mph.
Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 25 miles from the center.
The storm is expected to become a Category 3 hurricane by tonight.
Under the current forecast track, at 5 p.m. Friday, Olaf will still be nearly 700 miles east of the Big Island.
When it enters the Central Pacific, possibly by tonight, Olaf will be the record-setting 15th tropical cyclone this season in the area. The previous record of 11 tropical cyclones in the Central Pacific was set in 1992 and tied in 1994.
The Central Pacific typically averages four to five tropical cyclones per year.
Meanwhile, a high-pressure system far to the northeast of the state is generating moderate tradewinds over the state, with clouds and passing showers favoring windward and mauka areas.
The trades are expected to diminish early in the week as a front moves in from the northwest.
Meanwhile, state health officials have issued a brown-water advisory for the northwestern shores of Maui due to recent heavy rain.
Health officials advised the public to say out of floodwaters and stormwaters due to possible flows out of cesspools, sewer manholes and drainage ditches that could release toxic matter, including pesticides, animal feces and dead animals.
The brown-water advisories were issued Sunday for northwestern Maui and remain in effect on Oahu for Waimea Bay and the windward shore from Kahuku to Makapuu since Wednesday.
