Hawaii bracing for rare strike from hurricane as Douglas creeps closer

After spending some time as a Category 4 hurricane Thursday night, Hurricane Douglas began to lose wind strength on Friday. However, the storm is expected to still be a hurricane as it barrels toward Hawaii by the end of the weekend.

As 5 a.m. Friday, Hawaii time, Douglas was a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph and was trucking along to the west-northwest at 18 mph. The storm was about 895 miles away from Hilo, Hawaii, and 1,100 miles east of the state capital of Honolulu. At peak intensity, the storm churned through the Pacific with winds of 130 mph.

Douglas is expected to remain a major hurricane (Category 3 strength or higher) through most of Friday. Over the weekend, Douglas will continue to move into a much harsher environment for tropical systems to thrive, which will cause the storm to lose additional wind strength.

While Douglas will have to battle through an area of moderate to high wind shear, AccuWeather forecasters still expect the storm to maintain hurricane strength as it reaches the Hawaiian Islands by the end of the weekend.

In anticipation of Douglas passing near or over the islands, Hawaii
Gov. David Ige issued a state of emergency declaration on Thursday.