Hurricane Douglas, the strongest storm on the planet today, is moving towards Hawaii and is expected to reach the island on Saturday evening or early Sunday morning. 

Hurricane
(Photo : Unsplash)

Hurricane Douglas has reached Category 4 on Friday. This made Douglas as the strongest storm on the planet so far. Then it began to weaken as the hours progressed. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu said the hurricane will continue to weaken as it reaches Hawaii. 

The weather agency noted that from Category 4, it will likely fall into Category 1 or a strong tropical storm by Saturday evening or early Sunday morning. However, forecasters said the Hawaiian island should continue monitoring the storm. 

Even though the hurricane is showing signs to weaken, the weather agency warned that there is an increased chance of strong winds, dangerous surf, and heavy rainfall that could affect some portions of the island on Saturday evening or Sunday morning.

Douglas is currently at Category 3 with sustained winds of 115 mph that extends 25 miles from the center of the storm. A hurricane watch has already been issued for Hawaii and for Maui County, which includes the islands of Maui, Molokai, Kahoolawe, and Lanai.

The weather agency is expecting the storm to reach Hawaii as early as Saturday and will bring between six to 10 inches of rain in some portions of the islands. A maximum of 15 inches of rain or higher is also possible. 

Meanwhile, forecasters said Douglas is more likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions for several days. They further noted that most forecast models showed that Douglas will move directly toward the island of Hawaii.

Right now, forecasters said that what is important is not to focus on the center of the forecast track. But they noted that everyone should know that the storm could hit anywhere within the forecast cone issued by the hurricane center.