Hawaii Unscathed by Hurricane Season

Hawaii is escaping the 2009 hurricane season unscathed unless a last-minute storm strikes.

There are about two weeks remaining in this year’s hurricane season, which ends Nov. 30.

But officials at the Central Pacific Warning Center remain wary of new storms following a hurricane season filled with more storms than expected but none that hit Hawaii.

The closest call came from Hurricane Felicia, which was heading on a direct path toward Hawaii but fizzled as it moved into cooler waters before reaching the Big Island.

Ray Tanabe, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service, says residents shouldn’t let their guard down.

One of the more destructive hurricanes ever to pass through Hawaii, Hurricane Iwa in 1982, occurred in late November.