Courtesy National Weather Service

HILO, Hawaii – A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for much of the state of Hawaii as Flossie is 265 miles away from the Big Island.

Flossie has not gotten weaker. The Tropical Storm has maintained its maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour. It continues to move west towards Hilo at 18 miles per hour, according to the latest National Weather Service figures.

According to the very latest Civil Defense message, issued before 9 p.m. and available for listening above:

CLOSED for Monday

• All solid waste transfer stations including Hilo and Puuanahulu landfills
• All county parks and beach parks, as well as all state beach parks.
• All non-essential county meetings and council hearings cancelled for Monday and Tuesday.

The Coast Guard Captain of the Port is closing the ports of Hilo and Kawaihae on the Big Island and Kahului, Maui, to all traffic starting midnight Sunday. All cargo operations in these ports will be secured by 6 a.m. Monday.

The Governor of the State of Hawaii has also signed an Emergency Proclamation.

Hawaii County Civil Defense is getting busy. They issued this Tropical Storm Information Update on Sunday evening.

HCCD

“Tropical Storm Flossie continues on a westward track and is expected to make land fall on the Big Island Monday morning. High Surf and storm surge may begin to affect the coastal areas late tonight and continue through tomorrow. Strong winds and heavy rains and flooding are expected to begin at approximately 6:00 AM tomorrow morning. Evacuation Shelters will be open by 4:00 Am tomorrow at the following sites: Pahoa Community Center, Aunty Sally”s Luau Hale, Laupahoehoe Charter School, Honokaa Sports Complex, Waimea Community Center, Hisaoka Gym in North Kohala, Mt. View School, Pahala Community Center, West Hawaii Civic Center. In an effort to insure the safety of, and reduce the risk to employees, employers are encouraged to limit staffing to essential employees only. The County of Hawaii will be directing all non essential employees to remain home and County operations will be adjusted for emergency operations.”

2:30 p.m. – Hawaii County Civil Defense HQ in Hilo

ABOVE: We were at the Hawaii County Civil Defense headquarters in Hilo to touch base with county officials after an important National Weather Service briefing earlier today. No one seemed to be breathing any easier after getting the latest information. Flossie has not weakened as much as they had hoped it would by this point, and now the storm is approaching some warmer water as it tracks west, which could sustain or strengthen it. Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira took the time to fill us in during this interview.

We’ll see how the power company holds up when Flossie arrives. We just got this message from HELCO:

Also, UH-Hilo campus will be closed on Monday for precautionary measures due to TS Flossie.