The strongest storm in the world, Hurricane Douglas, is said to be approaching Hawaii. However, the forecast shows that the hurricane may weaken before it even reaches Hawaii this weekend.
Strongest hurricane
On July 24, the storm peaked as a Category 4, but the storm began to weaken as the days progressed. According to the report of the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu.
The hurricane is steadily weakening and it is expected to weaken more this weekend as it slowly approaches Hawaii. When Hurricane Douglas reaches Hawaii, it will be Category 1 hurricane or it would fall under strong tropical storm, according to the forecasters.
The hurricane center said on July 24 that the Hawaiian Islands should monitor the progress of the storm and that there is an increasing chance that strong winds, heavy rainfall, and dangerous surf could affect portions of the state this weekend.
Hurricane Douglas is currently a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 115 mph that extend 25 miles from the center of the storm. A massive hurricane is any storm that is ranked Category 3, with winds from 111 to 129 mph or stronger.
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A hurricane watch has been issued for the Big Island of Hawaii and for Maui County, which includes Maui, Molokai, Lanai, and Kahoolawe. The hurricane center forecasts the rain to be 6 to 10 inches and the force winds are expected to arrive on portions of the islands this week with isolated maximum totals of 15 inches.
The hurricane is also said to create massive swells that can cause life-threatening damages and it can also damage current conditions for several days.
The hurricane is currently running on 725 miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii. The hurricane is now moving west-northwest toward the island. There are some forecast models that show that the hurricane is heading over the island of Hawaii.
Some forecast predicts that the hurricane is heading between the islands, another forecast predicts the hurricane will land around the north of the island.
It is important to note that people should not focus on the center of the track because the hurricane could hit anywhere within the predicted cone that is issued by the Hurricane Center.
Hurricane landfall
Phil Klotzback, a research scientist at Colorado State University stated that hurricanes do track towards the islands of Hawaii, but the hurricanes usually weaken before it even reaches the islands, so the impact is not as strong as expected. Examples are Hurricane Olivia and Hurricane Lane that impacted Hawaii in 2018.
Also in 2016, Hurricane Madeline and Hurricane Lester threatened Hawaii. Even though a hurricane's effects on the island can be disastrous, it is rare for massive hurricanes to reach the island chain's shores.
The islands in Hawaii consist of small plots of land, which are then located in the largest ocean basin on the planet. This means that the probability of a direct hurricane landfall is very low.
Around 6,423 square miles of land is covered by Hawaii, and it is divided up among 6 islands, making a direct landfall rare. To compare the square miles of land, Florida, a state that is also often hit by a hurricane, is easier to target because it covers more than 50,000 square miles.
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