Hawaii gets the all clear as Iselle leaves; Julio to dodge the state

Whew, that was close.

Officials in Hawaii breathed a sigh of relief as one tropical system passed over the Big Island, causing limited damage, and a second system set its sights away from the island chain.

“We dodged a bullet,” said Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell.

Just two days ago, the situation looked bleak. Two hurricanes were on the way – Iselle and Julio.

Hawaii hadn’t taken a direct hit from a hurricane since the 1990s. This had people’s attention.

But Hurricane Iselle weakened to a tropical storm in the hours before Friday’s landfall. Hurricane Julio, a Category 2 storm with 100 mph winds at the latest update, is expected to weaken and push north of Hawaii over the weekend, forecasters said.

“Julio is expected to pass about 200 miles northeast of the Big Island on Sunday,” the Central Pacific Hurricane Center said.

Track Julio

By Friday night, the National Weather Service canceled the tropical storm warnings for Maui County and Oahu. Kauai, however, remained under a tropical storm warning. A warning for Hawaii County was canceled earlier.

A flash flood watch remained in place for the state through 6 a.m. Saturday. Iselle was still producing locally damaging wind gusts over the smaller islands, the statement said.

The heavy rains were the biggest threat from Iselle. Rainfall amounts of 4 to 8 inches were common, with some areas receiving more than a foot.

Soggy election

The state’s primary election was expected to take place Saturday despite the storm.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who has taken advantage of the storm to show leadership and appear on television, is in a tough race against State Sen. David Ige in the Democratic primary. U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz faces a challenge from U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa. Schatz was appointed to the seat after the death of longtime Sen. Daniel Inouye.

A relatively rare event

Direct hits are rare for the state. Since the 1950s, two hurricane eyes have hit Hawaii – and both approached from the south, where water temperature generally is warm enough to sustain the storms’ strength.

That’s not to say Hawaii hasn’t had close calls. The central Pacific sees an average of about five tropical cyclones a year, and some have brushed the state in recent decades.

The cyclones generally approach from the east after forming in the eastern Pacific. But close to Hawaii, dry air, cooler water and wind shear combine to weaken approaching cyclones, dissipating them before they can become a significant threat, CNN meteorologist Indra Petersons said.

Hawaii’s most damaging hurricane in recent decades – Hurricane Iniki of 1992 – came during an El Nino year, or a year of above-average sea surface temperatures. This year hasn’t met the criteria for El Nino, but it could in the weeks ahead, Petersons said.

Iniki killed at least four people and caused about $2 billion in damage when it hit the western Hawaiian island of Kauai, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

CNN’s Greg Morrison contributed to this report.