Douglas poses no threat to Big Island Fourth of July weather

At 2 p.m. PDT Thursday, July 2, the National Hurricane Center said Tropical Storm Douglas had maximum sustained winds near 40 mph, was moving north-northwest near 7 mph, and was spinning far west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula. The storm posed no threat to Big Island Fourth of July plans.

National Weather Service forecaster Dennis Trotter said the storm was too distant to affect Hawaii weather, and the forecast for the Big Island remained typical for early July. Hilo was expected to see scattered showers over the holiday weekend, while West Hawaii was likely to stay sunnier with only isolated evening showers at times. Kona’s usual pattern of afternoon clouds, daytime sea breeze and overnight land breeze was expected to hold, with temperatures in the upper 70s in Hilo and the lower to mid-80s in Kona.

By early Friday, July 3, the National Hurricane Center had issued its last advisory on Post-Tropical Cyclone Douglas. Tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 90 miles from the center, and the advisory listed no land hazards affecting shorelines at that point.

Douglas was the Eastern Pacific’s second named storm of the season, arriving almost exactly a month after Tropical Storm Amanda formed on June 2 and faded five days later. Trotter said the peak of the season typically comes around August, which is when the basin usually starts producing more named storms.

The National Weather Service Honolulu Forecast Office activates the Central Pacific Hurricane Center when a tropical system enters the central Pacific, and NOAA and the National Hurricane Center plan to use an improved forecast cone graphic that includes watches and warnings for inland areas, including Hawaii.