Flossie drops to Category 3 hurricane

Hurricane Flossie has dropped from a Category 4 hurricane to a Category 3 with maximum sustained winds of about 125 mph, according to the National Weather Service.Flossie is 425 miles southeast of Hilo and continues to move west-northwest around 15 mph.It is not expected to change in strength over the next 24 hours.
Flossie continues to generate hurricane force winds up to 40 miles from its center and tropical storm force winds up to 140 miles.Big Island Mayor Harry Kim has declared a state of emergency on the Big Island, which is expected to bear the brunt of Flossie's effects.Both a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning are now in effect for the Big Island.A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions were possible within 36 hours. A flash flood watch was also issued for the Big Island through Wednesday, with possible flash flooding in areas.A Category 3 hurricane, with sustained winds of at least 111 mph, is expected to strike about 70 miles south of the Big Island late Tuesday or early Wednesday.Forecasters earlier had said cooler weather could weaken the storm to a Category 1 hurricane, with sustained wind of at least 74 mph."The intensity has remained stronger than what was originally forecast, but the track has been pretty much right on," said Jim Weyman, the weather service's meteorologist in charge in Honolulu.
The Big Island is largely rural, with about 150,000 people, and most live in the west or northeast, not the southern portion expected to be hit hardest by the hurricane.Other islands are expected to get much less of the storm's wind and rain.Meteorologists cautioned that even a slight change of course in the unpredictable storm could take it closer to land.Track the hurricane's path on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration site at Flossie forecast.
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As in the days of Noah...