Hurricane Iselle Lashes Hawaii With Wind, Rain As Julio Threat Looms Large Over Islands (Video)

(N.Morgan) Hurricane Iselle left its mark on the Hawaii Islands and now  Julio is on the horizon, threatening the islands with more severe weather. Power outages, some flooding for parts of Maui wind, rain, ease as tropical storm passes Hawaii.Tropical Storm Iselle pummeled the Hawaiian Islands with high winds and heavy rain on Friday, forcing hundreds to seek shelter and knocking out power to 23,000 people as residents kept a wary eye on an even more powerful storm headed their way.

Julio, which was downgraded to a Category 2 storm on Friday, was barreling toward the islands at about 16 miles per hour, carrying maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour (169 kph), and expected to affect the islands as early as Sunday. “It’s raining hard here, but I guess I can expect that the worst of Iselle is over. Now there’s Julio to worry about,” said Pepeekeo resident Rae Miyashiro, who experienced power outages overnight but was otherwise unscathed.

Prediction models showed Julio weakening still further as it nears Hawaii, and officials said its latest model showed it would track about 150 miles (240 km) north of the archipelago early on Sunday. “Julio will be passing over cooler waters compared to Iselle and is forecast to weaken to a tropical storm before nearing Hawaii waters,” Dan Kottlowski of AccuWeather said. “Rainfall could still be locally heavy, especially in the higher terrain as a result of the tropical flow of moisture.”

But even if the storm veers away from the Hawaiian Islands, forecasters said, it could still bring high winds and considerable amounts of rain.

More Stories Contributed By N. Morgan