Hurricane Guillermo on Friday continued to bear down on the islands as a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph — and could arrive next week.
By Saturday, weather forecasters predicted that Guillermo could enter the waters of the Central Pacific with the 110 mph-punch of a Category 3 hurricane during what’s already a record-breaking tropical cyclone season.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami reported that at 8 p.m. Friday, Guillermo was about 1,330 miles east-southeast of Hilo moving west-northwest at 18 mph.
"The National Weather Service has advised us that the uncertainty in Guillermo’s projected track is high," Doug Mayne, administrator for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (formerly state Civil Defense), said in a statement Friday. "Severe weather associated with Guillermo is not expected this weekend. This provides the perfect opportunity for Hawaii residents to continue their emergency preparations for hurricane season."
It has already been busy.
This month Hawaii set two records for "tropical cyclones," the umbrella term for tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes.
Tropical Storm Ella became the earliest tropical cyclone to get a name on July 9. Ella beat the record set when Tropical Cyclone Wally was named on July 17, 2014, said Shelly Kunishige, spokeswoman for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.
July also broke a record for having three tropical cyclones named in the same month — Tropical Storms Ella, Halona and Iune. Tropical cyclones only get names after their winds reach tropical storm force of 38 to 73 mph, Kunishige said.
"It’s obviously a busy season," she said. "We’re breaking records and people should be getting ready."
This year’s activity follows a 2014 hurricane season that saw Hurricanes Julio, Iselle and Ana threaten the islands from August to October before breaking apart.
In May, forecasters predicted the Central Pacific could see even more activity in the form of five to eight tropical cyclones for the current season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
At the Iwilei City Mill on Friday, employees were restocking a "hurricane preparedness" display that contained a free booklet on hurricane preparation, butane stoves and fuel, water coolers, ponchos, flashlights, tarps and "of course" batteries, said Carlos Martinez, the store’s on-duty manager.
City Mill also carries hurricane-related supplies such as first aid kits, hand-cranked radios, bottled water and generators, which were generating interest on Friday.
If Guillermo continues to pose a danger, Martinez also expects customers to come in for sand and bags to cope with flooding.
"Right now, we’re selling and replenishing as we go," Martinez said. "As the storm approaches I’m pretty sure it’s going to be busier."
If Guillermo threatens Oahu, the city Department of Emergency Management would open emergency evacuation centers that would welcome the island’s homeless, said spokesman John Cummings.
"It’s still too early," Cummings said. "Right now we’re monitoring the storm and we’re going to see how it progresses."