Hurricane Olaf has begun to weaken, but remains a major hurricane in the Central Pacific.
According to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center’s 5 a.m. update, Hurricane Olaf was located 890 miles southeast of Hilo, holding maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour. The storm is moving to the west-northwest at nine mph.
Olaf’s weakening has downgraded the system to a Category Three hurricane, and forecasters expect slow weakening to continue over the next couple days, concurring with the storm’s projected change of path.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD
CPHC projects that Hurricane Olaf will take a turn to the northwest later Wednesday, then shift to the north-northwest on Thursday and head north on Friday. That path would keep the brunt of the storm away from the islands.
Forecasters continue to predict large surf swells generated by Hurricane Olaf. The National Weather Service has issued a High Surf Warning for East facing shores of the Big Island until 6 p.m. Saturday. Wave heights during the day are expected to be between 6-10 feet and are forecast to climb to 12-18 feet by Wednesday night.
Stay with Big Island Now for the latest information on Hurricane Olaf.
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