Flossie (2007)

A tropical depression formed about 1,700 nautical miles east-southeast of the Island of Hawaii on 8 August 2007 and moved generally westward. It strengthened to a tropical storm on 9 August and became a hurricane on 10 August. Flossie underwent rapid intensification and reached major hurricane strength just before entering the central Pacific on 11 August. The storm moved west-northwest while maintaining major hurricane strength for a couple of days, weakened beginning 14 August, and degenerated to a remnant low and dissipated by 16 August.

Flossie did not make a direct landfall on any of the main Hawaiian Islands. Its center passed about 90 nautical miles south of South Point on the Big Island early on 15 August. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning for the Big Island on 13 August; those alerts were discontinued on 15 August as the storm weakened and passed to the south.

The hurricane reached a maximum sustained wind of 120 knots (about 138 mph) and a minimum central pressure of 949 mb early on 12 August, which corresponds to a Category 4 hurricane at peak intensity. It maintained Category 4 strength for much of 11–13 August while well east of Hawaii.

Flossie produced very large ocean waves along the Big Island and sustained tropical-storm-force winds at South Point. Specific storm surge heights and a comprehensive list of rainfall totals are not reported in the official summary; however, the report notes large waves on the Big Island and no significant rainfall or surge impacts documented elsewhere in the islands. No ship reports of tropical-storm-force winds were received in the eastern North Pacific.

There were no reported deaths and no reports of significant damage in Hawaii. Impacts on the Hawaiian Islands were minimal. Forecast track guidance performed well for Flossie (official track errors were smaller than long-term averages), but intensity forecasts were poor—the storm strengthened much more than expected, producing large negative biases in 3–5 day intensity forecasts.