Tropical Storm Ana was strengthening rapidly toward hurricane status Tuesday as the cyclone, still about 800 miles east-southeast of Hilo, set its wobbling sights on the Big Island. ADVERTISING Tropical Storm Ana was strengthening rapidly toward hurricane status Tuesday as
Tropical Storm Ana was strengthening rapidly toward hurricane status Tuesday as the cyclone, still about 800 miles east-southeast of Hilo, set its wobbling sights on the Big Island.
The latest forecast track has Ana brushing past South Point with hurricane winds of 80 mph on Saturday afternoon or evening. The climatic forces steering the system are more complex than Hurricane Iselle, and National Weather Service forecasters aren’t certain where Ana will go.
Everyone should prepare for the weather, regardless of what side of the island they live on, NWS forecaster Tom Birchard said. That’s true for the entire state as well.
“At this point we’re all potentially impacted,” Birchard said.
Residents should be reviewing their emergency plans and stocking disaster kits, he said.
On Tuesday afternoon, Ana was a compact system with sustained winds of 65 mph, and tropical storm force winds extending 60 miles from the center. The cyclone is expected to peak with 90 mph winds Thursday and Friday before gradually weakening.
“There is still a fair amount of uncertainty and potential for changes,” Birchard said. “But the sooner you are prepared the better as far as dealing with the crowds. Some people don’t act until a watch or warning is issued.”
Warm water in the range of 81 to 82 degrees along the forecast track, plus light wind shear are providing favorable conditions for Ana to strengthen. The water is about 3.5 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year to the east and southeast of the islands, Birchard said.
American Red Cross officials are contacting volunteers and conferring with Civil Defense and the state Department of Education on potentially opening shelters at schools around the island, said Barney Sheffield, disaster manager for Hawaii Island.
“We’re calling volunteers, the shelter managers first, and trying to give them some kind of a time-frame, but we know how hard that is with these systems,” Sheffield said. “We’re making sure they’re on-island an available.”
The Red Cross opened 11 shelters around the island as Hurricane Iselle approached. Iselle, which hit Puna as a tropical storm on August 7, had a fairly straightforward track to the west, and it was possible to keep an eye on the system as it approached from far in the east. Ana formed in the Central Pacific much closer to Hawaii, the second named storm for the basin this season.
While it formed closer in, Ana is moving at only half the speed of Iselle, which buys the islands some time to prepare, Birchard said.
