text: tropical storm flossie ( 2013 ) tropical storm flossie yielded stormy weather to hawaii in late july 2013 . the sixth tropical cyclone and named storm of the annual hurricane season , flossie originated from a tropical wave that emerged off the western coast of africa on july 9 . tracking westward across the atlantic with little development , it passed over central america and into the eastern pacific ocean on july 18 , where favorable environmental conditions promoted steady organization . by 0600 utc on july 25 , the wave acquired enough organization to be deemed a tropical depression ; it intensified into a tropical storm six hours later . continuing westward , flossie attained peak winds of 70 mph ( 110 km / h ) on july 27 before entering the central pacific ocean . there , unfavorable upper - level winds established a weakening trend ; on july 30 , flossie weakened to a tropical depression , and by 1200 utc that same day , the storm degenerated into a remnant low , northeast of kauai . in advance of flossie , tropical cyclone warnings and watches were placed into effect for various hawaiian islands . in addition , numerous flash flood watches were issued in fear of over a foot of precipitation . ports and numerous facilities were closed to the public , and authorities opened shelters for refuge . upon approach , flossie threatened to become the first tropical storm to make a direct hit on hawaii in two decades ; however , the system weakened prior to doing so . flossie brought high surf to the state , leading to minor beach erosion . gusty winds exceeded tropical storm threshold , downing numerous power poles and trees ; as a result , several thousand locals were without power for a few days . the storm produced several inches of rainfall across the island , with a peak of 9 . 27 inches ( 235 mm ) on mount waialeale . though one man was injured due to , no fatalities were reported in association with flossie . damage totaled to $ 24 , 000 ( 2013 usd ) as a consequence of lightning . meteorological history on july 9 , 2013 , a tropical wave emerged off the western coast of africa . tracking swiftly westward across the atlantic , it passed across central america on july 18 and emerged into the eastern pacific ocean shortly thereafter . early on july 21 , a broad low - pressure area formed in association with the wave , and the national hurricane center ( nhc ) began monitoring the disturbance for slow development into a tropical cyclone accordingly . shower and thunderstorm activity coalesced over the subsequent days , prompting the nhc to increase its chances for development to the high category ; despite this , satellite data from early on july 24 did not reveal a well - defined circulation necessary for classification . by that evening , a combination of visible and microwave satellite imagery depicted an improvement of the vortex , and the system was upgraded to a tropical depression at 0000 utc on july 25 , while situated 980 miles ( 1 , 575 km ) west - southwest of the southern tip of the baja california peninsula . the depression tracked west to west - northwest upon classification , steered by a mid - level ridge centered over the southwestern united states . deep convection increased in coverage and intensity over the following hours , leading to an increase in satellite intensity estimates ; at 0600 utc , the depression was upgraded to tropical storm flossie . within an environment of low wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures , flossie gradually intensified over the next two days ; a mid - level eye became observable in microwave imagery and intermittently on visible satellite imagery by early on july 27 . at 1200 utc , the system attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph ( 110 km / h ) and a minimum barometric pressure of 994 mb ( hpa ; 29 . 35 inhg ) . thereafter , flossie crossed the 140th meridian west into the central pacific ocean , where the central pacific hurricane center ( cphc ) assumed responsibility of the system . unfavorable upper - level winds in association with an upper - level trough began to impede the system 's organization around this time , and it began a slow weakening trend . in conjunction with high wind shear , marginal ocean temperatures caused deep convection in association with flossie to weaken and become ragged ; as a result , the forecast called for continued weakening . instead , a brief reprieve in upper - level winds allowed the system to intensify to a secondary peak of 65 mph ( 100 km / h ) by 1200 utc on july 28 . an anticyclone northwest of the system increased shear atop the system once again by the following day , and dry air began to become ingested into the circulation . the low - level vortex became exposed to view and progressively ill - defined as outflow boundaries in association with a previous convective burst impeded on the low . at 0000 utc on july 30 , flossie was downgraded to a tropical depression ; after the circulation became indistinguishable on satellite imagery twelve hours later , the system was declared a remnant area of low pressure . at this time , the vortex was centered near the northern coast of kauai . preparations and impact upon entering the central pacific ocean , flossie prompted the issuance of a tropical storm watch for hawaii and maui counties on july 27 . this was upgraded to a tropical storm warning hours later , while oahu was placed under a tropical storm watch . due to the threat of heavy rain , forecast to reach 15 inches ( 380 mm ) in localized areas , a flash flood watch was issued for all of hawaii , valid between july 29 and 30 . all maui county parks were closed due to the storm as county authorities activated emergency operations . along the big island , all courts and colleges were closed . hawaii governor neil abercrombie signed an emergency proclamation . three ports were closed , including two on the big island and one on maui . under the anticipation that flossie would become the first tropical storm to make landfall in the state since 1992 , authorities opened 11 shelters across the state , including four on maui and seven on oahu . in total , 177 persons used these shelters . a scheduled water outage in hanalei and was postponed due to the storm . while still offshore , flossie brought high surf to much of the state . upon passing narrowly by the island , gusty winds downed trees and power lines : kahului reported a peak wind gust of 47 mph ( 76 km / h ) during flossie . more than 10 , 000 residences were without electricity across the state , with most outages concentrated in maui and big island . heavy rains impacted several islands ; rainfall rates of 3 to 4 inches ( 76 to 102 mm ) an hour were recorded in . along the eastern side of maui , a total of 5 . 3 inches ( 130 mm ) was reported in the kaupo gap , while a storm - total peak of 9 . 27 inches ( 235 mm ) was observed on mount waialeale . one man was injured in maui due to lightning . damage from lightning across the state amounted to $ 24 , 000 . six vehicle accidents were reported and several roads required closure , but overall , damage from flossie was relatively minor .