Ana strengthens into hurricane but may miss Hawaiian Islands

By Dan Whitcomb (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Ana, swirling in the central Pacific Ocean, was upgraded to hurricane status on Friday but forecasters said they now believe the storm will drift some 100 miles to the south and miss the Hawaiian Islands. No hurricane has landed a direct hit on Hawaii since Iniki, a Category 4 storm that struck in September of 1992, killing six people and causing damages estimated at $2.4 billion. Ana, which was lurking about 230 miles (365 km) due south of Hilo, Hawaii, on Friday afternoon, was tracking toward the archipelago at 14 miles per hour (22 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour (120 kph), said Ray Tanabe, acting director of the National Weather Service in the Pacific region. But Tanabe said the storm was expected to veer off south of Hawaii and weaken in intensity as it passed the archipelago. "According to the forecast, the center of the storm should remain 100, 150 miles (160, 240 km) southwest of all the islands," he said. Ana was expected to bring heavy surf to south-facing beaches and remained dangerous, whether at tropical storm or hurricane strength, because the uncertainties involved in storm forecasts meant it could still nudge itself closer to the islands, Tanabe added. Oahu, the most populated of the Hawaiian Islands, opened its emergency operations center on Friday morning and Mayor Kirk Caldwell said he would make a decision on opening shelters and closing beaches as the storm approached. "I urge Oahu residents to prepare by storing food and water for up to seven days, making sure their flashlights work, and having a family disaster plan," Caldwell said. "There is no need to panic and hoard essential items. We must think about our family, friends, and neighbors when buying supplies, and now is the time to calmly prepare before the storm arrives so you can stay off the road when it is here," he said Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie signed an emergency proclamation for the state on Wednesday, and classes at the University of Hawaii West Hawai'i Campus have been canceled. In August, Tropical Storm Iselle pummeled the Hawaiian Islands with high winds and heavy rain, forcing hundreds of people to seek shelter and knocking out power to more than 20,000 residents. (Reporting Curtis Skinner in San Francisco, Suzanne Roig on Oahu and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Sandra Maler)