Hurricane came within a “razor thin” margin – some 20 or 20 miles – of doing much worse damage than it did, one forecaster said.
Hurricane Douglas came within a “razor thin” distance of the Hawaiian Islands but spared the state the worst of the strong winds, storm surge and flooding officials had warned about. Meteorologists cautioned the hurricane’s path could shift slightly and Douglas could still unload its destructive power on the islands of Oahu and Kauai. “It’s still not out of the realm of possibilities. So we want people to really remain vigilant and stay prepared, at least for tonight,” Eric Lau, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu said Sunday. As of 8 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time (2 a.m. EDT), Douglas was 60 miles north of Honolulu and scurrying west/northwest at 16 mph. It had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu. The center said, “Gradual weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours, but Douglas is expected to remain a hurricane as it moves near Kauai later tonight. “… Total rain accumulations of 3 to 6 inches with locally higher amounts are possible, with the greatest rainfall in elevated terrain. This rain may result in flash flooding and land slides, as well as rapid water level rises on small streams.” Heavy rain and wind gusts battered Maui Sunday morning, downing a small tree on the Hana Highway.
