The Big Island braced for the worst and hoped for the best yesterday as officials counted sand bags, cleared storm drains and made worst-case plans as Hurricane Felicia lurked over the horizon.

The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron from Mississippi arrived at Hickam Air Force Base yesterday and planned to conduct a series of trips into the eye of the storm today. The information the crews bring back will help weather forecasters predict more accurately if Felicia, now a Category 1 storm, will weaken to a tropical storm or tropical depression by the time it reaches the Islands.

In any case, heavy rains, high surf and flash-flooding are possible Monday through Wednesday, said Ian Morrison, a National Weather Service forecaster. There is a 40 percent chance that Felicia will be a tropical storm with 40 mph winds on Monday, according to forecast data.

At 11 p.m. yesterday, Felicia was 1,030 miles east of Hilo and moving west-northwest at 14 mph. It had maximum sustained winds of 90 mph.

Felicia had weakened from a Category 4 hurricane over the past two days.

The 11 p.m. update projected that Felicia would reach Hilo Monday night, possibly as a tropical storm with winds of 40 mph.

"Felicia could still cause flooding damage," Morrison said. "The public should be prepared for the hurricane season. Storm supplies should be restocked and everyone should have enough water and their emergency preparedness kits filled up."

On the ground, Hawai'i County officials assessed department readiness yesterday, said Kevin Dayton, county spokesman. They checked their generators, fueled county vehicles and deployed equipment out in the field.

Campers were called, notifying them that they may have to evacuate in case the surf kicks up past advisory levels of 8 feet. No new camping permits have been issued through the week.

The American Red Cross has assessed its supplies and discussions have been held with state education officials in case schools need to be closed so the buildings can be turned into emergency shelters, Dayton said.

"Essentially we're making sure everything is topped off and ready to roll," Dayton said. "We've checked on the communication equipment and moved heavy equipment around the island in case we need them for cleanup."

Over at Hickam Air Force Base, four crews of U.S. Air Force hurricane hunters arrived yesterday from Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss. Their mission is to fly into the storm today to assess the hurricane and to drop sensor equipment into the storm that will send information to meteorologists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Members of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron will make a 210-mile "X" pattern through Felicia and its eye.

COLLECTING DATA

The decision to fly to Honolulu to take a look at Felicia was made when it was first identified earlier in the week as a Category 4 storm, said Air Force Reserve Maj. Ty Piercefield.

"We'll go out and collect data," Piercefield said. "We collect the data that helps NOAA accurately forecast. It's challenging."

The unit was also here in August 2007 to take stock of Hurricane Flossie. Hurricane Flossie started as a Category 2 hurricane, but ended as a tropical storm 100 miles south of the Big Island. During Flossie, the Big Island was buffeted by 40 to 50 mph winds and high surf.

"You can't compare one storm to another," Morrison said. "Flossie came close to the Big Island as a hurricane and it dissipated. Each storm is like a snowflake."

The crews flying into storms in their C-130 aircraft can gather data not available through satellite or ground sensors.

"One of the hardest things for us to do these days is to determine the intensity of the storm," said Lt. Col. Christa Hornbaker, a U.S. Air Force Reserve meteorologist. "We're here to do a job to assess the threats."

Susan Villanueva, owner of Reubens Mexican Food in Hilo, is counting on that information being accurate. She knows the damage that flooding can do to her business. During a recent rain storm, her business was flooded and the family had to dig into its own pockets to rebuild the restaurant.

"We're watching what's going on first," Villanueva said. "We're kind of worried about the hurricane, though. We're mostly worried about flooding. Every time there is heavy rains, we have flooding."