Hurricane Watch in Hawaii Is Lifted; Storm Veers Away : Weather: Path moves to north and winds weaken. Tropical system is expected to drop heavy rain on Haiti, bringing threat of slides, floods.

Weather forecasters lifted a hurricane watch for Hawaii Monday after Hurricane Fernanda weakened and moved away from the state.

By late afternoon, the storm was 310 miles east-northeast of Hilo on the southernmost island of Hawaii and was moving northwest at 5 m.p.h., the National Weather Service said. The storm had sustained winds of 90 m.p.h. and gusts to 115 m.p.h. at its center.

It was expected to slowly continue to weaken and move away from the islands, said forecaster Hans Hablutzel.

Meanwhile, forecasters downgraded Tropical Storm Cindy after it hit the Dominican Republic on Monday.

The storm weakened to a tropical depression after its sustained winds diminished from 40 m.p.h. to 30 m.p.h. as it passed over the Barahona peninsula en route to neighboring Haiti, U.S. weather officials said.

“The rainfall is the main problem of the system,” said Richard Pasch, a hurricane specialist for the National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables, Fla. Some mountain areas should expect as much as eight inches of rain, increasing chances of mudslides and flash flooding, he said.

The weather service continued a high surf advisory for all of the Hawaiian islands, with surf of 10 to 15 feet expected on north- and east-facing shores.

Hurricane Fernanda lost strength Monday as it remained stalled about 300 miles from Hilo and 450 miles east of Honolulu, on Oahu Island, where the majority of Hawaii’s residents and visitors are.

Before the hurricane watch was lifted, nearly 200 residents of Hawaii Island fled their homes. People in less exposed areas stocked up on emergency supplies, and stores reported runs on food, water, batteries and flashlights.

All beach parks on the island of Hawaii were evacuated and closed.

Nine emergency shelters were opened on Hawaii Island in anticipation of high wind and flooding, said Harry Kim, administrator of Hawaii County Civil Defense.

About 185 people who did not feel safe in their homes spent Sunday night in shelters, authorities said. The island is home to about 120,000 residents.

Forty hikers were evacuated from Wailau Valley at the north end of Molokai Island. The valley is accessible only by ocean or a difficult trail that would be impassable in a storm.

Minor damage from gusty winds and high waves was reported on Hawaii Island, and crashing waves dumped sand and debris on some Oahu roads.

The Food Fair Super Market in Hilo sold out of batteries. Bread, canned meats and matches also went quickly, grocery manager Aaron Mar said.

Residents of the island of Kauai, which was devastated by Hurricane Iniki Sept. 11, again stocked up on supplies.

“When you get punched in the face, they next time they raise their hand, you duck,” Ed Vallejos said as he filled gas cans at a service station.