Hurricane Ana Downgraded to Tropical Storm, Misses Hawaii
Hawaii residents could relax after Hurricane Ana downgraded to a Tropical Storm and missed the state by 70 miles on Sunday.
Hurricane watch was on full force while Ana churned for several days and gained extra strength in the central Pacific Ocean. According to The Weather Channel, Ana had been upgraded from a tropical storm to a hurricane on Friday. Weekend plans were canceled as people prepared for the storm to reach Hawaii.
Late Sunday, the storm weakened and downgraded back to a tropical storm just 70 miles southwest of the island Niihau. According to the Associated Press, National Weather Service Meteorologist Chris Brenchley said, "It was a fortuitous track." The storm left Hawaii undamaged but soaked with rain. Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said, "The good news is, it looks like we've dodged a bullet yet again."
As the storm watch ceased, a flash flood warning extended until late in the evening. The state's most populous island, Oahu, was also on watch for the storm but just received a flash flood warning after the storm watch was canceled Sunday.
As Ana bypassed Niihau, a tropical storm warning remained for the island and Kauai. While there were no reports of problems on Niihau, a very small privately owned island with less than 100 people, an emergency shelter on Kauai was shut down. A hurricane watch was issued for parts of a few remote islands with mostly an uninhabited marine sanctuary.
There are no reports of injuries of great damage from the tropical storm which was predicted to be closer than where it was. Officials still asked people to stay home and keep out of the ocean. Ana sparked heavy rains, large waves and some minor flooding.
To some, Sunday was a typical day. Honolulu resident Trevor Kaplan told the Associated Press that it was a great day to come out because there were no people outside while he and his family hiked to Manoa Falls.
Some took the hurricane warnings very seriously as they remembered Hurricane Iniki of 1992 which killed six people and destroyed over 1,400 homes.
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