Two hurricanes are headed toward the Hawaiian Islands causing residents there to stock up on food and supplies. First up is Iselle gaining momentum in the Pacific Ocean in preparation for a Friday hit on Honolulu. Closely following is Julio, a tropical storm upgraded Wednesday to hurricane status. Julio may strike the islands this weekend.

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Flash flooding is a major concern for the tale of two storms with most of the state posting tropical storm warnings and watches on Wednesday with the distinct possibility these will be upgraded to hurricane watches during the day. Iselle's eye was around 900 miles from Oahu. Hilo was casting a wary eye toward Julio, now featuring hurricane-sized winds of around 75 miles per hour, about 1,600 miles to the east.

Residents were taking the impending storms seriously. They were buying supplies at warehouse stores with full pallets of merchandise that emptied as quickly as they arrived. Markets in Oahu reported heavy shopping with some stores experiencing long lines of people before their doors opened.

On the flip side, it's an ill wind that doesn't blow some good. Surfers were excited at the prospect of huge waves striking the coastline before the actual storms hit, making for great surfing conditions. 

Hawaii has been fortunate in avoiding large-scale hurricanes over the years. Three hurricanes have hit the islands in the last 65 years. It's been 22 years since a hurricane or tropical storm has hit the islands. That was Hurricane Iniki that demolished nearly 1,500 home in Kauai and resulted in the deaths of six people.

That's not to say tropical storms have avoided the island. Nearly 150 tropical cyclones have hit the islands in the last 60 years.

The difference between cyclones and hurricanes are their points of origin. Hurricanes begin in the Atlantic Ocean or Caribbean near the Equator and travel north with some also  beginning in the eastern Pacific and heading north. Tropical cyclones originate in the western Pacific with large cyclones classified as typhoons.

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