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Forecasters said it was still uncertain whether the eye of the
powerful hurricane would hit land in the U.S. island chain,
whose Big Island is reeling from a three-month eruption of
Kilauea volcano.
But "preparations to protect life and property should be rushed
to completion," the center said.
The center of the storm is expected to track "dangerously" close
to or over the islands Thursday through Saturday, the NHC said.
A direct hit anywhere in Hawaii "would be a worst case
scenario," said Thomas Birchard, a meteorologist with the
hurricane center.
The powerful hurricane was about 350 miles (565 km)
south-southeast of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, with maximum sustained
winds of 160 miles per hour (260 km/h) at about 11:30 p.m. local
time, the NHC said.
As of late Tuesday night, a hurricane warning was in effect for
the Big Island and a hurricane watch was in effect for the rest
of the state, the hurricane center said.
The storm, which was moving west-northwest near 9 mph (15 km/h),
was expected to turn toward the northwest on Wednesday, followed
by a turn to the north-northwest on Thursday, the center said.
Winds and rain from the storm are expected to hit the Big
Island, then churn north over the islands of Maui, Lanai and
Moloka'i, which were all under hurricane and flash flood
watches.
Rainfall of 20 inches (51 cm) in some areas could lead to major
flash flooding, landslides and mudslides, the NHC said.
Devastation caused by winds and flooding may make locations
uninhabitable for weeks and Hawaii residents to be prepared to
evacuate their homes, local authorities warned.
(Reporting by Andrew Hay and Brendan O'Brien; Editing by Bill
Tarrant, Sandra Maler and Andrew Heavens)
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