Tropical Storm Flossie lashes Hawaii

(CNN) -- The "big island" of Hawaii is feeling Tropical Storm Flossie's pounding rain and dangerous winds.

As of 11 p.m. in Hawaii (5 a.m. ET), Flossie had weakened from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of about 70 mph. The storm was located about 175 miles south-southwest of Hilo and about 280 miles south-southeast of Honolulu. Flossie was moving west-northwest at about 10 mph, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu.

The storm is expected to weaken further over the next 24 hours.

CNN meteorologist Reynolds Wolf, on Hawaii's Big Island, said winds were picking up late Tuesday and waves were growing higher. Watch as Flossie approaches Hawaii »

"The Big Island will see the onset of tropical storm-force winds, 39 mph and higher, this evening," the hurricane center said in its 8 p.m. advisory. "East to southeast winds of 40 to 50 mph with higher gusts are likely as Hurricane Flossie passes south of The Big Island this evening and overnight."

Forecasters said the surf facing the south shore of the Big Island will remain at 20 to 25 feet Tuesday, and surf along east-facing shores will be about 10 to 12 feet.

Hawaii residents rushed to supermarkets, loading up on water, batteries and nonperishable foods such as peanut butter, noodles and bread. But many of the items were picked over.

Some were still shaken after an overnight earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 struck 25 miles south of Hilo, triggering a small landslide. There have been no reports of injuries or damage to buildings, according to local CNN affiliate KITV.

The Big Island's Kau District could receive 10 or more inches of rainfall through Tuesday night, forecasters have said. Smaller amounts of between 5 and 10 inches are predicted on the east slopes of Hawaii.

The rainfall could produce flash flooding, but forecasters have said the amount of rainfall and flooding potential could vary greatly depending on Flossie's track across the Pacific.

The island is under a tropical storm warning, meaning that tropical storm conditions, including winds of at least 39 mph, are expected within 24 hours. A hurricane watch was dropped.

A state of emergency was declared Monday morning, advising residents to stay tuned to their radios for information on possible evacuations, the National Weather Service said.

Schools, beaches and public parks were closed, as was the access road to the upper reaches of Mauna Kea, the state's highest mountain.

While the storm is not expected to make landfall in the state of Hawaii, forecasters said landfall is possible, depending on the storm's track.

Meanwhile, in the Atlantic basin, a tropical depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Dean. By Friday, the system is expected to become the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2007 season, on a path toward the Lesser Antilles -- stretching from Trinidad to the U.S. Virgin Islands -- and Puerto Rico. As of 11 p.m. ET, Dean's center was about 1,295 miles east of the Lesser Antilles. Dean had maximum sustained winds reaching 50 mph and was racing west at near 18 mph, and was expected to continue doing so over the next day.

Dean is expected to reach Hispaniola as a Category 3 hurricane as of 8 p.m. Sunday. However, because hurricanes often move in unpredictable fashion, the actual path a storm takes often varies widely from the long-range forecast.

And a tropical depression -- the fifth of the Atlantic season -- formed in the Gulf of Mexico late Tuesday, triggering tropical storm watches for parts of the Texas and Mexico coast. The storm was located about 390 miles east-southeast of Brownsville, Texas and about 410 miles east of La Pesca, Mexico, at 2 a.m. ET Wednesday. Its maximum sustained winds were at 30 mph -- just short of the 39-mph tropical storm threshold.

Forecasters issued a tropical storm watch, meaning tropical storm conditions are possible within 36 hours, for the Texas coast from Freeport southward. Freeport is about 35 miles west of Galveston. In addition, the government of Mexico issued a tropical storm watch for the northeastern Mexican coast from Rio San Fernando northward.

The depression -- which will become Tropical Storm Erin if it strengthens -- was moving toward the northeast at about 10 mph, and was expected to continue that movement with a turn to the west-northwest by late Wednesday. "The center of the depression is forecast to be near the lower or middle Texas coast by Thursday morning," the NHC said. "The depression is forecast to become a tropical storm prior to making landfall."

The storm may dump up to 5 inches of rain along the middle Texas coast, with isolated amounts of up to 8 inches, forecasters said. E-mail to a friend

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