WASHINGTON, October 18 (RIA Novosti) - A storm that was inching towards the Hawaiian islands has turned into a category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 75 miles per hour, the US National Weather Service said.
Hurricane Ana is just 230 miles south of the island of Hilo, Hawaii and is expected to cause heavy rain Friday afternoon before passing over the rest of the islands through the weekend.
Hawaii's Governor Neil Abercrombie signed an emergency proclamation on Wednesday that will allow Hawaii to use state funds for protective measures and permit the state to suspend certain laws if needed for emergency purposes.
Large swells are expected to hit the eastern end of the Hawaiian island chain from Friday to Saturday and could cause rain between 6 and 12 inches high on the island of Hawaii.
Back in August, Hurricane Iselle that was also headed towards the island of Hawaii, weakened to a tropical storm by the time it hit the island causing some damages.
In 1992, a deadly category 4 Hurricane hit the island of Kauai that killed six people and destroyed thousands of homes.
