Strong, southwesterly winds buffeted O'ahu yesterday, as forecasters warned residents to get ready for even stronger winds through this afternoon, with gusts upward of 60 mph expected in parts of Windward O'ahu.

The threat of damaging winds prompted the closure of public schools statewide today, except for those on the Big Island, along with all O'ahu charter schools, the University of Hawai'i-Manoa and many private schools. Some charter schools on Kaua'i and the Big Island also canceled classes.

Nonessential state employees and Honolulu and Maui county workers were given the day off today due to the threat of bad weather. The U.S. District Court in Honolulu also is closed today, though Kaua'i County offices will remain open.

Meanwhile, 112 homeless people sought refuge last night from the winds at temporary shelters, set up at Wai'anae, Kane'ohe, Waimanalo and Waialua district parks, the Red Cross said. The number of people at the shelters was expected to grow overnight as the winds started to pick up and cause problems.

The shelters at Wai'anae and Waimanalo each had about 50 people last night, the city said.

Last night, city emergency management officials said residents should be prepared today for powerful, potentially damaging gusts in some spots of the island, especially high elevations and areas below north and east slopes.

The National Weather Service recorded gusts as high as 48 mph at Schofield Barracks and 41 mph in Kane'ohe. However, as of 10:30 last night there were no reports of major damage.

"We're operating under the assumption that this is going to be a pretty bad storm," said John Cummings, spokesman for the city Department of Emergency Management.

A high wind warning remains in effect for O'ahu through 6 p.m. today, and National Weather Service forecasters said the strongest winds likely will be felt overnight and this morning. The gusty winds are expected to die down considerably on O'ahu tonight, probably just after dusk.

Forecasters predict a return to gentle trade winds by tomorrow.

Robert Ballard, science and operations officer for the National Weather Service-Honolulu, said Windward O'ahu will likely get hit with the brunt of the winds. He urged residents to stay off roads and remain indoors because of the danger of flying debris.

"We really want people to be safe and cautious," he said. "It's going to be a wind event that is probably going to cause some problems."

PREVIEW OF STORM

Through 10 p.m. yesterday, firefighters responded to nine calls for wind-damaged roofs, all but two in Kane'ohe, Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. Terry Seelig said. He said the department was preparing for emergency calls to increase overnight, and had extra staff on duty.

There were also several small outages yesterday, which were likely wind-related. Three of the outages were in Kane'ohe, knocking out power to more than 8,100 customers, including Windward Community College, which canceled classes last night.

There was also an outage on Wilhelmina Rise that cut power to more than 1,300 customers, and one in 'Aina Haina that affected 2,300 customers. As of 9:40 p.m., power had been restored to most customers, but crews were still working on outages that affected 300 people in Kane'ohe and 100 in Waimanalo.

Hawaiian Electric Co. spokesman Darren Pai said HECO crews were stationed around O'ahu to respond quickly in the event of more outages. He said extra crews would also be on-call today.

TheBoat canceled voyages for yesterday and today.

Ballard, of NWS, said the strong southwesterly winds are being caused by a cold front making its way over the island chain. Yesterday afternoon, the front was about 200 miles north of Honolulu. The winds are most dangerous in front of the storm, which will likely not bring any heavy downpours.

PREPARING FOR WORST

Before the worst winds were scheduled to hit yesterday, Windward residents started tying down loose objects around their homes and stocking up on emergency supplies. Some reported strong gusts racing through neighborhoods, snapping branches and downing at least one tree in Maunawili Valley.

"Anything that's less than 200 pounds has the ability to go flying," said Rob Mathews, the owner and operator of a sail and snorkel charter boat company at He'eia Kea Boat Harbor who was tying down whatever he could yesterday. He said a recent storm, with lighter winds than those expected today, blew off sail covers and shade canopies from his 35-foot sailboat.

For this wind storm, he said, "I've doubled up all the lines; that gets the boat farther away from the dock so she had room to buck around."

In addition to strong winds yesterday, emergency officials were watching the big surf, which threatened to get bigger with the wind. The state closed the Yokohama Bay section of Ka'ena Point State Park yesterday because high, wind-whipped waves were creating hazardous conditions.

The state also canceled all camping permits for Peacock Flats and hiking permits for Kuaokala Forest Reserve yesterday. In a news release, Department of Land and Natural Resources chairwoman Laura Thielen urged people to stay off hiking trails and other outdoor areas. "High wind may cause trees to fall or other debris to be blown," she said.

Lifeguards also closed beaches on the North Shore yesterday.

Stephaney Bell, 52, of Los Angeles, said she came to see the big waves and wasn't disappointed.

"It's just overwhelming and very beautiful," Bell said.