As Hurricane Calvin continues its westward movement toward the Central Pacific basin, Hawaii County officials are closely monitoring the progress of the storm.
Calvin reached major hurricane level, category-3, today, reaching maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, but is starting to enter cooler waters and had weakened slightly to about 120 mph by 5 p.m.
The storm is expected to deteriorate further over the weekend and weaken to tropical storm status before entering the Central Pacific, probably early Monday morning.
“There is concern. We’re going to get some kind of impacts,” Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno said this afternoon. “It’s not going to be at the hurricane level, which is good. But they’re forecasting flooding rain, high surf, upgraded winds, definitely. So if it continues tracking in our direction, we’ve got to prepare and expect some impacts.”
As of 5 p.m Friday, Calvin was still about 1,965 miles east-southeast of Hilo, but the third named storm of the Pacific hurricane season is expected to make its presence felt in some way in the next few days.
“It’s still pretty far out to get a lot of specifics. But we would have the possibility of heavy rain, some locally strong winds and, potentially, some high surf, as well,” said Thomas Vaughan, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in Honolulu.
“We are still looking at the possibility of some heavier rainfall amounts, on the eastern side of the Big Island, especially,” Vaughan added.
Calvin is moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph, and this general motion is expected to continue for the next several days.
As for advice he’d give Big Islanders, Magno replied, “Make sure you have a plan.”
“Make sure you understand your vulnerabilities and plan accordingly,” he continued. “If there are impacts from flooding, or trees come down and take away power and road access, you need to recognize that. If you live along the shoreline, you need to recognize there’s going to be large surf.”
According to Vaughan, most of the effects of Calvin will likely hit the island Tuesday night into Wednesday, but elevated surf levels should arrive prior to the wind and rain.
“It could provide advisory level surf on eastern shores or, depending on the track, warning-level surf,” he said. “But that far out, it’s really hard to say.”
“While current forecasts suggest that Hurricane Calvin may weaken below hurricane levels before reaching Hawaii, county officials maintain that it is essential for residents to remain vigilant and prepared for potential hazards,” Cyrus Johnasen, spokesman for Mayor Mitch Roth, said in a statement Friday.
To ensure timely and critical alerts, the county is encouraging residents to sign up for Everbridge messages from Civil Defense through the county website. Those who do so will receive important notifications directly to their preferred communication channels, email or text messages, allowing them to stay informed and make informed decisions.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.