Hone weakens to tropical storm and sweeps past Hawaii, dumping enough rain to ease wildfire fears

Hone passed south of Hawaii and weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm, dumping so much rain that the National Weather Service called off its red flag warnings that strong winds could lead to wildfires. Hone had top winds of 70 mph Sunday night. Floods closed Highway 11 between Kona and Hilo, and a higher-altitude alternative, the Cane Road, was closed by flooding as well. Meanwhile, the eastern Pacific saw a new threat emerge as Tropical Storm Hector formed, packing top sustained winds of 45 mph. The National Hurricane Center says there were no coastal watches or warnings in effect as Hector churned far out at sea.