#tropical storm ana

Flash Flood watch posted for Maui County. Some areas experiencing heavy rain, high surf and gusty winds. Hurricane Ana continues to affect Maui County.

It is very important that our community remains vigilant due to the fact that storms like this are very unpredictable, said Mayor Alan Arakawa

Ana was upgraded to a hurricane shortly before 11 a.m. today. A tropical storm watch has also been issued for Maui County, Oʻahu, and Kauaʻi counties, including adjacent coastal waters.

We will continue to monitor how ANA interacts with the island of Hawaiʻi (if at all) to tweak the Maui County forecast as the system continues to approach.

Tropical Storm Ana has grown slightly and currently close to hurricane strength– but its track now takes it south of the island chain with none of the islands remaining in the cone of uncertainty.

Ana is moving toward the west-northwest near 14 mph. This motion is expected to continue tonight, with a slight turn to the northwest later today and Saturday.

Ana is becoming more organized at this hour with a partial eye wall detected on satellite imagery. The statistical chance of tropical storm conditions has continued to decrease for all areas under the tropical storm watch.

The statistical chance of tropical storm conditions has continued to decrease for all areas under the tropical storm watch.

All state forest managed lands on Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi were closed today until further notice. All Maui County parks and recreational facilities will close beginning on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014.

Tropical storm Ana continues to maintain its strength as a tropical storm and is forecast to pass about 80 miles SW of the Big Island late Friday night and Saturday. The system is expected to gradually intensify over the next 30 hours, briefly reaching hurricane intensity Friday night before starting to weaken.

Hawaiian Airlines announced the effective immediately, guests holding tickets for company flights scheduled between Oct. 16 and 19, 2014, will be allowed to change their reservation without being charged a fee.

Interisland Air Carrier Island Air announced today that it will be suspending flights servicing the islands of Maui and Lānaʻi beginning in the afternoon on Saturday, Oct. 18, and will suspend all flights on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2014.

Maui could see seas of up to 15 feet for leeward coastal waters on Saturday; winds of 25 to 45 mph Saturday through Monday; locally heavy rainfall, frequent scattered showers, thunderstorms possibly on Friday with anywhere from 5 to 10 inches with higher amounts forecast locally.

Tropical Storm Ana continues on a path toward the state, and is forecast to turn toward the west-northwest today, with a slight increase in forward speed expected on Friday. Ana is forecast to become a hurricane on Friday PM.

The following are a list of closures and cancellations that were made in anticipation of the approach of potential for severe weather associated with Ana.

The current track takes the system 75 miles south and west of the Big Island of Hawaii on Friday Night and Saturday, passing Maui County on Saturday into Sunday, with impacts projected as early as Friday in the form of thunderstorms and heavy rain.

ANA has weakened slightly but the National Weather Service indicates even if intensification does not occur, impacts could still be quite severe.

In the best case scenario ANA goes well south and is nothing but a high surf event. The worst case scenario is landfall which could bring flooding rains, extreme winds, storm surge and coastal flooding.

Potential threats include flash flooding, strong and damaging winds, and coastal inundation over the main Hawaiian Island Friday through Monday.

Governor Neil Abercrombie today signed an emergency proclamation in anticipation of the arrival of Tropical Storm Ana, which is forecast to impact the state this weekend, possibly as a hurricane.