Pair of Hurricanes Will Chase Tourists Off Hawaii Beaches
Hawaii prepares for two hurricanes in the span of one weekend.
— -- Beachgoers on the Big Island of Hawaii will have one final day at the water's edge today as the first of two hurricanes headed for the state are expected to make landfall tonight.
Hurricane Iselle will bring winds of up 65 mph and surf as high as 20 feet when it hits the Big Island sometime around 8 p.m. tonight. Beaches around the island have been flagged as "high hazard" areas by state authorities.
Hawaii Braces for Hurricanes Iselle and Julio
"Everybody says this is the last day of good weather, so we came down to the beach," tourist Shonna Snodgrass, visiting from Stafford, Virginia, told the Associated Press.
The storm will move toward Oahu and Maui early Friday morning, drenching the most popular tourist destinations in the state with up to 8 inches of rain, with the potential for coastal flooding and wind damage.
Washington state couple Tracy Black and Chris Kreifels are planning to marry in an outdoor ceremony on Saturday, according to the AP.
"We see the rain as a blessing," Black said. "It will work out as it's supposed to."
On the heels of Iselle, a category 1 storm, is Hurricane Julio. Julio is expected to edge close to the islands Sunday night and Monday and is currently a Category 2 storm with winds of up to 100 mph.
Airlines including Delta, United, Alaskan and Hawaiian Air have all announced that passengers with reservations can rebook their travel plans free of charge to avoid the hurricane.
Hawaii has not been directly hit by a hurricane in 22 years, and only three times since 1950, though it has endured nearly 150 tropical cyclones in that time, according to the AP. Six people were killed and more than 1,000 homes damaged during the 1992 hurricane.
The Big Island has been hit by one named tropical storm, and never a hurricane, according to ABC News meteorologists.
The state has closed public schools in preparation for the storm.
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