Madeline Downgraded, But Still A Threat To Hawaii

Forecasters on Wednesday downgraded Hurricane Madeline to a tropical storm as it veered past Hawaii’s Big Island, but officials reiterated warnings to prepare for heavy rain and strong winds. The National Weather Service downgraded the storm as its winds decreased to 70 mph. Its center wasn’t expected to make landfall on any Hawaiian island. Still, the Big Island and Maui County were under tropical storm warnings. "It doesn’t matter if it’s a strong tropical storm or a category 1 hurricane," said Eric Lau, a meteorologist with the weather service. "If you have 70 mph winds verses 75 mph winds, it’s still a strong storm, so residents still need to be prepared."