Tropical Storm Hernan forms in the Pacific while a different weather system could soak Hawaii

HONOLULU (AP) — Tropical Storm Hernan formed Thursday in the Pacific Ocean and wasn’t threatening land while a different storm system that could bring heavy rain and flooding this weekend moved toward Hawaii, forecasters said.

Hernan was about 1,460 miles (2,350 kilometers) west of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center said. Maximum sustained winds were around 40 mph (64 kph) and it was moving west.

Meanwhile, potential Tropical Cyclone One-C was about 775 miles (1,247 kilometers) east-southeast of Hawaii and was forecast to bring heavy rain, high winds and dangerous surf to the Hawaiian Islands starting late Friday.

Winds were around 40 mph, but it wasn’t organized enough to be considered a tropical storm, the Miami-based center said.

It could make landfall on the southern part of the Big Island as a tropical storm on Saturday, forecasters said.

The system could bring rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) in the island chain, with up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) possible, forecasters said. That could produce flooding and mudslides, the center said.

In the Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Storm Cristobal weakened into a tropical depression and was expected to dissipate Thursday, the center said. It was about 610 miles (982 kilometers) west of the Azores and didn’t threaten land.