Maroc - NEWSDELIVERS.COM - A La Une - 25/Aug 16:31

Hurricane Hone Hits Hawaii, Heavy Rain Eases Wildfire Threat

Hurricane Hone passed south of the island of Hawaii early Sunday (8/25), dumping enough rain that the National Weather Service lifted its highest level warning (red) that high winds could fuel wildfires on the drier side of the archipelago. Hone was packing top sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph), according to a 2 a.m. (local time) warning from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu, and was moving westward near the southernmost point of the Big Island, close enough to hit the coast with tropical-storm-force winds and dump a foot (30 centimeters) or more of rain on the windward and southeastern slopes of the Big Island. More heavy rainfall was possible in some locations. Meanwhile, Hurricane Gilma intensified into a Category 4 storm Saturday night, but is still about 1,400 miles (2,380 kilometers) east of Hilo and is expected to weaken to a depression before reaching Hawaii. “Hone’s primary threat to the state is the potential for heavy rainfall leading to flooding, damaging winds and large surf along east-facing coasts,” the National Weather Service said Sunday morning. Several Big Island beach parks were closed because of extremely high surf and officials were preparing to open shelters if needed, Big …