Tropical Storm Lane, greatly diminished from the major hurricane it once was, has drifted at sea off the Hawaiian coast as it spread rains across the island chain from Oahu to the Big Island, threatening to trigger more flooding and landslides.
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But as trade winds finally began to nudge the storm off to the west, away from land, the National Weather Service lifted all remaining tropical storm warnings and watch advisories for the state of Hawaii.
A flash flood watch remained in effect for Oahu, by far the most developed and populated island, through Sunday morning, local emergency management officials said. And civil defence officials on the Big Island said they were bracing for more rain and flooding as well.
Lane's maximum sustained winds dropped to 85km/h, but lingering moisture from the storm was forecast "will produce excessive rainfall this weekend, which could lead to additional flash flooding and landslides", the latest weather service bulletin said.
The NWS discontinued tropical storm warnings that had been posted earlier for Oahu, the resort island of Maui and the smaller, neighbouring islands of Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe. A tropical storm watch for the island of Kaui, farther to the north, also was lifted.
The island chain was spared the calamity of a direct hit from a major hurricane on Friday as Lane weakened to a Category 2 storm, then a Category 1 - the lowest classification on the five-step Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale - as it churned northward through the Pacific toward Oahu.
The storm was about 177km south of Honolulu, but the state's most populous city was largely spared from any impacts.
Shops along the famed Waikiki beach in Honolulu were reopening for the tourists.
Forecasters had said as much as 25cm of rain could fall on parts of Oahu and Maui.
Australian Associated Press
