Tropical Storm Flossie Being Watched Closely as Storm Moves Towards Hawaii
Weather forecasters are monitoring the developments related to Tropical Storm Flossie as it continues moving through the eastern Pacific toward Hawaii.
Flossie was classified as a tropical storm not long after developing off the coast of Central America Thursday morning. Meteorologists are predicting that the storm will gain strength through Friday, with winds reaching sustained winds of 50 mph.
There is increasing optimism that the storm will weaken as it moves further through the Pacific and closer to land. It is not being ruled out, but forecasters are not expecting the storm to ever reach the status of a hurricane, which must reach sustained wind speeds of 74 mph to be classified as such.
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Tropical Storm Flossie is heading towards the central Pacific and is thought to traverse over cooler waters in the next couple of days.
The storm is still approximately 1,000 miles from Hawaii, according to AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski, with the storm expected to make land fall Tuesday morning and may weaken to a tropical rainstorm by that time.
"That does not mean that Flossie will pass unnoticed across Hawaii," Pydynowski said. "Enhanced shower activity will spread from east to west across the islands Monday night through Wednesday, threatening to put a damper on outdoor activities."
The National Weather Service stressed that it is "Important to keep in mind that even the remnants of tropical cyclones can sometimes bring copious, excessive rainfall."
