Hurricane Madeline continues its trek toward Hawaii Island.
Hurricane Madeline continues its trek toward Hawaii Island.
At 5 p.m. Monday, Madeline was a category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph. The storm was about 575 miles east of Hilo moving west-northwest at 10 mph.
A hurricane watch was issued at 11 a.m. Monday by the National Weather Service, which means hurricane conditions are possible in the next 48 hours. The weather service also issued a flash flood watch for the island for Wednesday and Thursday.
Madeline is forecast to pass south of the island Wednesday and Thursday. Landfall remains a possibility.
By Thursday, the cyclone is expected to weaken to a category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.
Farther to the east, Hurricane Lester continues to churn toward the island as a category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. It was 1,525 miles east of Hilo as of 5 p.m. Monday.
Lester is forecast to pass the island Saturday to the north, though a direct hit remains possible.
It’s also expected to weaken to a category 1 hurricane as it nears the island, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.