travelbuff

If you are heading to Hawaii in the next couple of weeks, you should pay special attention to the weather. Right now there is a category 3 hurricane headed toward Hawaii, and with hurricanes you never know the exact track of the storm they are very unpredictable. The forcasters I heard said that the storm is expected to get stronger, as it is in open very warm water, and that's not good news.

Track will take it close to Hawaii by Monday or Tuesday of next week.

Hopefully it will fizzle out before it hits land, let's all pray for that.

olesouthernbelle

Oh no! Hold on to your hats & be careful!

RebeccaNJ

Okay, I am scheduled to arrive for our vacation on Sunday. I have no experience with this. Should I assume the flight will be cancelled? Was busy planning snorkel excursion when I saw the weather. Should I cancel the whole trip while I can still get some money back, or am I jumping to conclusions. It sounds scary.

Kal

[-o

louistraveler5

I live in Austin, TX and watch News 8 Austin. This morning during the weather forecast the hurricane headed in the direction of Hawaii was talked about. The hurricane is going to lose strength before it gets to Hawaii.

Also I went to www.weather.com and I copy/pasted this from the Hurricane Felicia headline:
"Felicia is forecast to make a turn in a more westerly direction this weekend, while encountering dry air and shearing winds aloft. This will likely quickly weaken the system through this weekend, with it nearing or passing just south of the Big Island of Hawaii early next week as a weak tropical storm or tropical depression.
At this time it appears any impacts, if any, to Hawaii will be minimal, and would not occur until later Monday."

HawaiiVirgin

OK, if the hurricane comes in & really messes things up right before our trip (Aug 19), I will feel like I'm the "kiss of death", so to speak. We are coming in for our 25th anniversary. For our 5th anniversary, we planned a trip to St. Croix. A few days before we were scheduled to leave, Hurrican Hugo whipped thru & destroyed our hotel, plus much of the island (the worst storm in their history). I will be praying harder than anyone, I think. This can't happen to us twice!!!

RebeccaNJ

hawaiivirgin, I think your trip is far enough away that it will be fine. I am scheduled to fly to maui this sunday! I don't know if planes will even fly in/out in that kind of weather. I am picturing planes that can't leave and hotel guests stuck, and a general mess. louistraveler5 thanks for posting the weather link. I am going to watch it all day before I make a decision. Even if it misses, it sounds like I will be in for a rainy week. ugh. (Of course, wishing the islands and islanders all safety, first)

travelbuff

When I posted this the Hurricane was gaining strength, so I'm so glad we scared the Hurricane out of the water, so to say, lol. Last night it was a category 4, so thankfully it sounds like it will be wearing itself out over the next few days,,,,,,,phew.

HawaiiVirgin

Which island are you going to? That may make a difference.

Here's the most recent Weather Channel prediction.
http://www.weather.com/newscenter/hurricanecentral/2009/felicia.html?from=search_siteresults<1>#articleJump

Do you have trip insurance? You probably won't need it, but just in case...... Good luck.

RebeccaNJ

going to maui and kaui...no insurance...can get refund on some of it...still undecided...even if it "misses" it will be rainy. was so looking forward to sunny hawaii. will probably have to decide between no hawaii or rainy hawaii.

beanweb24

If you look at the 10 day forecast for Maui, you'll see the highest chance of rain is 50%...and for several days it's only 30% or 40%. So that means that it's more likely to NOT rain than it is to rain. The chance of rain in Kauai is slightly higher though still maxes out at 50%.

Sounds like a no brainer to me...if you can't get all your money back, a rainy Hawaii is far better than no Hawaii. Why spend all that money and *not* go??

Can you delay your trip a week or two with less of a financial impact?

RebeccaNJ

beanweb, where did you see that forecast? I saw percentages of 70 -100% on forecast.weather.gov

I believe I can salvage the airfare and kauai hotel (the most expensive parts...but not the maui hotel)
still really want to go!!
mostly concerned about flying through that weather (sunday arrival). also, going all that way and not doing road to hana, halekala due to wind or water or something.

I can bump the trip up a little bit, but I have to figure out how to do that.

ksucat

I have traveled before and after a hurricane and its not pretty..lots of friends lost homes and businesses during Iniki on 9-11-92..it took them years to recover and Kauai too.
We are going to Kauai the first week of September..haven't booked..still waiting for prices to drop...its almost $800 rt from SD to LIH..
May it pass away from the islands..this is the last thing Hawaii needs right now.

beanweb24

I was checking weather.com.

I agree that traveling before/after a hurricane is not pretty, but the current forecast is that the activity in Hawaii will be more along the lines of a tropical storm and not a hurricane.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_w...s_hawaii_.html

Your flight might be a bit bumpy, but the airlines will not fly if it is unsafe. You can always call your airline now and see what their current stance is.

Barbara

If you're checking on a hurricane, try the National Hurricane Center web site:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/grap...daynl#contents

toncasmo

hawaiivirgin- i feel your pain! my husband and i had been in two hurricaines and a tropical storm and had always had bad weather on every trip before we were married. so when were planning our honeymoon my mom wanted to give us the $$ to go st thomas we told her no as it was hurricaine season- sept 9, 1989. so we went to hawaii like every other CA honeymooners and had perfect weather- not even afternoon rain. however we were walking down street in maui and saw hurricaine hugo hits st thomas!! had to call mom!! and of course iniki hit on our 3rd anniversary but we weren't there. have spent probbaly half of our 20 anniversaries in hawaii with no problems. we are going to kauai sept 3rd for our 20th so we'll see. hopefully gods will be with us- it got so bad for awhile freinds wouldn't travel with us or we're asking where we were going for vacation so they went somewhere far far away!

HawaiiVirgin

LMAO, toncasmo!! Well, it's looking like we'll be OK, as the storm should be long gone by the 19th. I just hope it won't leave damage behind in it's wake. They don't need that on top of the economy.

Rebecca, I will keep my fingers crossed for your vacation! Hey, it's a hurricane, you never know what it will decide to do at the last minute.

RebeccaNJ

I'm still watching the weather and hoping for the best. I was supposed to book tours today, but didn't. Boat rides will be out, but can the road to hana be done in the rain? What about Halelekala ?

martym

Here's another website http://www.hawaiiweathertoday.com/maui.php it gives forcasts for the various areas of Maui (and the other islands) from someone in Hawaii.

Kal

[-o