October 18 at 9:22 PM

HAWAII

Hurricane Ana center will miss islands

Hurricane Ana was on course Saturday to miss Hawaii by more than a hundred miles but was generating high waves, strong winds and heavy rains that prompted flash-flood warnings throughout the islands.

The center of the powerful Pacific storm was about 190 miles west of the Big Island and about 150 miles southwest of Honolulu, the National Weather Service said. A tropical storm watch remained in effect on Oahu and Kauai but was lifted for Maui, Lanai and the Big Island.

A downpour on the Big Island prompted officials to close Mamalahoa Highway in a region known for its coffee farms. Its the only road connecting some communities to the eastern side of the island. On Oahu, rain was falling on the islands North Shore and Koolau Mountains, said Bob Burke, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Waves were expected to crest to 10 to 15 feet on the south shores of the islands and remain high through Sunday.

The heaviest rains were falling along the southeast slopes of Mauna Loa, in the Puna district and the Kau district on the southeast side of the island. However, no one on the Big Island reported storm damage, said Darryl Oliveira, director of Hawaii County civil defense.

Ana became a Category 1 hurricane Friday when it was about 230 miles south of Hilo. The hurricane was expected to gradually weaken and again become a tropical storm by Sunday afternoon, Burke said.

The American Red Cross closed its evacuation shelters on the Big Island and opened shelters on Oahu. Island Air suspended its Maui and Lanai flights Saturday afternoon and all flights Sunday, but airports remained open.

Associated Press

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Hurricane Ana center will miss Hawaiian islands