Strong, gusty winds made for a blustery night in the Kane'ohe area, but no serious problems had been reported to police or the fire department as of this morning.

Even without injuries or major damages, authorities were urging caution.

The National Weather Service has said wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph could hit the Islands later today and early tomorrow morning. Hazardous surf conditions also remained in the forecast.

Strong southwesterly winds, with steady gusts upwards of 40 mph, are expected to stick around on O'ahu through tomorrow afternoon, the Weather Service said.

A high-wind watch remains in effect for Kaua'i and O'ahu, which saw gusts upwards of 35 mph overnight. Forecasters say the winds will continue to pick up today through mid-day tomorrow on O'ahu, and then start to die down.

By Saturday, expect gentle trades on O'ahu.

The gusty winds are being caused by a cold front located about 175 miles north of Kaua'i. Parts of Kaua'i and O'ahu in greatest danger of seeing the strongest gusts are higher terrains and areas to the north and east of mountain ranges.

While the front is expected to bring some rainfall, weather service forecasters are predicting the showers will be moderate and fast-moving. The front will reach the Big Island by tomorrow night, but by that time is expected to have weakened.

Meanwhile, high-surf warnings remain in effect for the north- and west-facing shores of Ni'ihau, Kaua'i, O'ahu, Moloka'i and Maui and west-facing shores of the Big Island.

A high-wind warning is also in effect for the Big Island summits.

On O'ahu, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources today closed the Keawaula (or Yokohama Bay) section of Ka'ena Point State Park on the Wai'anae coast, to the point, due to high surf and hazardous conditions along the shoreline.

DLNR said the park gate will be closed and lifeguards will be stationed to turn people away.

"In cooperation with the county and state Civil Defense and other agencies, we are taking these precautions to protect the safety of the public, including beachgoers, hikers or fishers," DLNR chairwoman Laura H. Thielen said in a release.

"At other locations we are urging beachgoers to stay out of the water and keep well away from the shore break due to hazardous wave actions and currents," she said.

DLNR may also close other beach and shore areas for safety reasons if storm surf, debris, or damaged roads force these closures.

DLNR is also advising boaters at its north- and west-facing harbors to listen to the National Weather Service broadcasts, and to take necessary precautions to secure their boats.

On O'ahu, the city was preparing to help evacuate homeless camps on Leeward Coast beaches to emergency shelters.

TheBoat will not sail this afternoon or tomorrow morning because of the high winds.

The city ferry service from Kalaeloa to Aloha Tower also did not sail this morning.

TheBoat makes three round-trip voyages from Leeward O'ahu to Downtown each morning and afternoon.

A decision on whether TheBoat will sail tomorrow afternoon has not yet been made.

Kane'ohe residents reported the area has been hit by strong gusts since early this morning.

About 1,800 Hawaiian Electric Co. customers in the greater Kane'ohe area lost service for about 45 minutes this morning.

Electricity was restored by about 3:30 a.m., area residents said.

In Temple Valley, one woman reported that a particularly strong gust set off the car alarms in her neighborhood.

There also were reports of shingles and roofing material being blown off roofs. Several small trees were down and branches from larger trees snapped off.

On Maui, Maui Electric Co. reported small pockets of power outages Upcountry as branches were blown onto power lines, but otherwise no serious weather-related problems were reported.

The National Weather Service is forecasting southerly winds of 16 to 20 knots today in Kahului, with gusts as high as 29 knots.

Kaua'i police and civil defense reported no wind-related problems as of 10 a.m.