SOUTH POINT, Hawaii - Flossie was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm hours after sideswiping Hawaii's Big Island, turning its seas into roiling giant surf.
Flossie had delivered 30 minutes of steady rain to the small town of Naalehu on Tuesday night, but there was little significant wind.
The storm spent most of its wrath at sea, but residents stocked up on supplies and stayed home Tuesday in anticipation of possible flooding and wind damage from the first hurricane to come so close to the islands in 15 years. Schools and businesses across the Big Island were to remain closed Wednesday.
Other Hawaiian islands, including the main island of Oahu, enjoyed tropical breezes and mostly sunny skies, with little impact on tourism or commerce.
Flossie lost its hurricane status as its maximum winds dropped below 119 kph to 112 kph. At the time, it was about 281 kilometres south-southwest of Hilo, moving west-northwest at about 16 kph.
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu canceled a hurricane watch for the Big Island, although a tropical storm warning remained in effect late Tuesday, meaning the island could experience winds of more than 62 kph.
A flash flood watch for the Big Island was also canceled as the threat of up to 25 centimetres of rain dissipated. But the Kau region could see 15 to 20 centimetres of rain, forecasters said.
Flossie was still a hurricane as it buffeted the Big Island on Tuesday, sweeping about 152 kilometres south of South Point, the southernmost area of the United States.
Gov. Linda Lingle signed an emergency disaster declaration and canceled a trip to the island before the storm hit. The Federal Emergency Management Agency dispatched 20 transportation, aviation, public works and health experts to the island as a precaution. Emergency shelters were opened but attracted only displaced campers and a few stray tourists.
Cruise ship operator NCL America altered itineraries for its two giant ships that ply the islands.
Pride of America was to spend the day at sea Wednesday instead of calling at Kona, where a normally busy beach was empty. Pride of Hawaii had spent the day at sea Tuesday instead of having passengers go ashore at Hilo.
The storm arrived after a 5.4-magnitude earthquake centered 40 kilometres south of Hilo. The quake Monday night, followed by two dozen aftershocks, caused a small landslide, but authorities said there were no reports of injuries or structural damage.
National Guard Maj. Gen. Robert Lee, the state's adjutant general, had said the storm was "too close for comfort."
Eight tourists from Santa Cruz, Calif., abandoned their condominium Tuesday and took refuge at the Ka'u High School shelter in case the storm worsened.
"We didn't want anyone to have to take care of us because we weren't taking care of ourselves," Robin Steinberg said.
At South Point, resident Brianna Beck visited a favorite swimming spot Tuesday to watch the rising waves. Her family prepared for the hurricane by taping windows and tying down everything in their yard. The ocean currents were much stronger than normal, said Beck, 21.
"This is pretty intense," she said.
In the nearby town of Naalehu, small businesses had signs saying they were closed for the day.
While Flossie weakened in the Pacific, a tropical storm watch remained in effect early Wednesday for the southwest coast of Texas and part of Mexico as a tropical depression was expected to strengthen over the Gulf of Mexico. And in the open Atlantic, Tropical Storm Dean cruised far east of the Lesser Antilles.
In Hawaii, Lingle signed an emergency disaster proclamation, which activated the National Guard. Hawaii Island Mayor Harry Kim also declared a state of emergency Monday as a precaution.
The Big Island is largely rural, with about 170,000 people, and most live in the west or northeast, not the southern portion expected to be hit hardest.
The last time a hurricane hit Hawaii was 1992, when Iniki ravaged Kauai, killing six people and causing US$2.5 billion in damage.
