Hurricane Felicia Weakens to Category 2

Hurricane Felicia has downgraded to a Category 2 storm far out in the Pacific.

Photo: Hurricane Felicia Weakens to Category 2

The National Hurricane Center said Felicia's maximum sustained winds decreased Friday morning to near 100 mph.

Forecasts said interests in Hawaii should monitor the progress of Felicia. They said the storm is expected to continue weakening over the next two days and become a tropical storm on Saturday, well before it reaches Hawaii, The Associated Press reports.

But even if the storm does not hit Hawaii as a hurricane, it can still cause flooding damage, said meteorologist Derek Wroe at the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu.

"Storms and depressions] bring a lot of moisture with them and the wind may not be as strong when it comes in with a depression, but a depression is sometimes just as capable as bringing in flooding as a tropical storm," Wroe said, CNN reports.

Meanwhile, the latest satellite photos show the eye of the storm has deteriorated, a good indication that the storm is losing steam and becoming less and less efficient.

There has been little change in the general forecast. Weather is expected to deteriorate early next week as the system begins to affect the islands Monday as tropical depression.

The possibility of heavy flooding rains, increased wind, and warning level short to mid period surf continue to be the expected primary threats associated with Felicia. Once Felicia passes sometime mid week, trade winds are expected to return into the second half of the week, KGMB9 reports.