Yet another dangerous cyclone is threatening Hawaii this week, as Hurricane Lane is expected to make a turn towards the island chain in the coming days.
Currently a Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, Lane could leave “catastrophic” damage in its wake. The storm has sustained maximum winds of 150 miles per hour.
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch for Hawaii and Maui counties as the center of the storm is forecast to pass close to those areas on Thursday. While Lane is expected to weaken slightly in the coming days as it curls northwest towards Hawaii, NHC cautioned that it will likely remain a “dangerous hurricane.”
#Lane‘s eye has become much more defined this evening. This satellite loop runs from about 1pm this afternoon though 7:30 this evening. Lane is still about 500 miles SE of Hilo and 700 miles SE of Honolulu. #hiwx pic.twitter.com/hEI1XUFXQP
— NWSHonolulu (@NWSHonolulu) August 21, 2018
Rough surf and flash floods are expected, which has local officials warning residents to prepare. “Some people might say, ‘Another hurricane, it didn’t hit us last time, we don’t need to worry.’ No, we got to plan for the worst and hope for the best,” Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said on Monday.
This graphic shows the most-likely arrival time for sustained tropical storm force winds (39+ MPH) from #Lane. Follow @NWSHonolulu for the latest forecast and potential local impacts. pic.twitter.com/fcx0DIfSr4
— NWS (@NWS) August 21, 2018
Should a direct hit happen, AccuWeather hurricane expert Dan Kottlowski said, “Lane has the potential of bringing the state of Hawaii serious and perhaps record damage.”
Earlier this month, another hurricane, Hector, approached Hawaii. It passed south of the Aloha State.
All the while, Hawaii has been dealing with a different kind of natural disaster for months. Southeast areas of the Big Island have been impacted by eruptions from the Kilauea volcano since May. Flowing lava and toxic gases has led to thousands of residents evacuating residential areas and destroyed homes.
