Hawaii residents stock up ahead of 2 hurricanes

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii residents were furiously stocking up on essentials as two hurricanes churned toward the islands today and weather officials asked the whole state to prepare for flash flooding.

Julio gathered enough steam in the Pacific to be upgraded to hurricane status as it trailed Hurricane Iselle, which could hit as early as Thursday.

Much of Hawaii was under either a tropical storm watch or warning.

Hurricane Iselle weakened slightly overnight. Its eye was about 925 miles from Honolulu this morning.

Hurricane Julio is expected to strengthen slowly over the next day and a half or so. Hurricane-force winds extend up to 15 miles from Julio's eye.

Julio was spinning about 1,650 miles east of Hilo, with winds of about 75 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane, said Lixion Avlia, senior hurricane forecaster with National Hurricane Center in Miami. It has not intensified in the last few hours, he said.

It is expected to pass north of the Hawaiian islands in three to four days. Avlia said it was still too far away to predict its actual path.

"Hawaii should be more interested now in Hurricane Iselle, which is closer to the Hawaiian Islands," he said.

Hawaii has been directly hit by hurricanes only three times since 1950, though the region has had 147 tropical cyclones over that time.