6 AM UPDATE: Hector Enters Central Pacific

 UPDATE: Aug. 6, 2018, 6 a.m.:

The National Weather Service reports that Hurricane Hector has entered the Central Pacific and continues to move west. Hawai‘i County departments along with state and federal agencies are monitoring the storm. Take this time to prepare for possible hurricane impacts and stay alert for continued Civil Defense messages.

ORIGINAL POST, Aug. 5, 4 p.m.: Hawai‘i County Prepares for Hurricane Hector

The County of Hawai’i reports that it is preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Hector in the Central Pacific region later this week.

County, federal and state agencies, along with private entities, met on Sunday, Aug. 5, 2018, at the Civil Defense Agency’s Emergency Operations Center for an orientation briefing.

Mayor Harry Kim said the session was aimed at getting staff familiar with the background regarding the storm, which was approaching the 140-degree longitude boundary into the Central Pacific.

According to the National Weather Service, the earliest reasonable onset of effects on Hawai‘i Island will be sometime on Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.

Civil Defense will keep the community informed through regular updates.

Times listed in this map are PDT, three hours ahead of Hawai‘i Standard Time.

At 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 5, the center of Hurricane Hector was located near latitude 14.5 North, longitude 138.6 West. Hector is moving toward the west near 13 mph, and this general motion is expected to continue for the next few days with some increase in forward speed. On the forecast track, Hector will cross into the central Pacific basin tonight.

Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 140 mph with higher gusts. Hector is a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are expected tonight and Monday. After that, gradual weakening is expected Monday night through Wednesday.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 105 miles.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 27.96 inches.