Small, powerful Dora begins weakening as it moves west

Hurricane Dora, a small-but-powerful tropical cyclone far from Hawaii in the East Pacific, has weakened overnight as it moves west toward the Central Pacific.

Before 5 a.m. today, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Dora had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, making it a Category 3 storm, and was located 1,935 miles east of South Point on Hawaii island.

Dora is moving west at 18 mph, and this motion is expected to continue over the next few days as it further weakens, forecasters said.

A compact tropical cyclone, Dora’s hurricane-force winds extend up to 15 miles from the center, while its tropical storm-force winds extend up to 45 miles.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds peaked 140 mph Thursday afternoon before starting a gradual decrease in strength.

The hurricane center’s latest five-day forecast has Dora entering the Central Pacific Sunday and passing hundreds of miles south of Hawaii by Wednesday as a Category 1 hurricane.

It is forecast to enhance the state’s winds as it passes next week, and possibly deliver high surf to south and east shores.

In the meantime, Hawaii is expected to enjoy moderate tradewinds over the weekend with highs in Honolulu at 87 degrees and overnight lows in the mid-70s, according to the National Weather Service in Honolulu. The tradewinds are expected to increase early next week, with “very gusty and dry conditions possible late Monday into Wednesday,” forecasters said.