Fortunately for Hawaii, Tropical Storm Felicia, formerly Hurricane Felicia, has slowed in speed and lessened in intensity, but she is still expected to pass over the Hawaiian islands today, just missing the Big Island, but making landfall on the central islands of Oahu and Maui, according to the National Weather Service.  Forecasters predict sustained winds of about 40 mph along with rain, but rainfall will not be as torrential as they originally thought.  However, many schools, parks and beaches are already closed as the islands brace for the storm.

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also cautions us (click here for the story) not to be lulled into complacency because of the perceived “slow start” to the Atlantic hurricane season, as the peak months for big storms, August and September, are just coming up.  So check out those disaster plans supplies, both at work and at home (click here for NOAA’s hurricane preparedness advice), and keep an eye on the forecast!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009 at 10:42 am and is filed under Emergency Preparedness in the News, Hazardous Weather Outlook, Hurricanes, In the News, Severe Storm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.