Hurricane Lane (2018)

Date: August 15–28, 2018

Place: Hawaii

Result: Lane was a powerful Pacific hurricane that dumped record-breaking amounts of rain on the Hawaiian Islands. Though the storm never made landfall, it caused widespread flooding with damages estimated to be about $250 million.

Overview

While many hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean begin as thunderstorms that form over the west coast of Mexico, Lane actually originated from the west coast of Africa. The wave of storms moved into the Atlantic Ocean on July 31, 2018, and traveled west without encountering the atmospheric conditions necessary to spawn a tropical storm or hurricane. A tropical storm is a weather system with wind speeds greater than 39 miles per hour (63 kilometers per hour); hurricanes form when wind speeds reach 74 miles per hour (119 kilometers per hour) or higher. The system moved into the Pacific Ocean on August 8 and encountered warmer ocean temperatures. Fueled by the influx of warm, moist air, the system organized into a tropical disturbance and began to turn northwestward.

Lane became a tropical storm on August 15 and strengthened into a hurricane two days later. By August 18, it had become a major hurricane—a storm with wind speeds greater than 111 miles per hour (178 kilometers per hour). Typically, Pacific Ocean hurricanes do not pose a threat to land as atmospheric conditions almost always funnel them westward into the open ocean. However, the pattern of high pressure that normally steers such storms was weaker than normal in August 2018, and Lane began turning northwest toward Hawaii.

Though Hawaii is located in the central Pacific Ocean, its islands are relatively small compared to the sheer size of the ocean and are rarely threatened by hurricanes. Since weather records were first kept in the late nineteenth century, only three hurricanes have made a direct landfall on Hawaii—an unnamed storm in 1871, Hurricane Dot in 1959, and Hurricane Iniki in 1992. As Lane headed toward the islands, it gained strength and grew into a category 5 storm. Category 5 is the most powerful classification of hurricane. Such storms have sustained winds greater than 157 miles per hour (253 kilometers per hour) and are capable of causing catastrophic damage. Lane’s winds topped out at 161 miles per hour (259 kilometers per hour) on August 22.

Lane weakened to a category 1 hurricane by August 24 but still seemed to be heading directly for Oahu, the most populous of Hawaii’s eight main islands. On August 25, the storm’s track veered to the west, taking the hurricane south of the islands and into the open waters of the central Pacific. As Lane began its turn west, it was also downgraded to a tropical storm. Despite missing the islands, the bands from the storm dropped heavy rain across Hawaii, and winds caused storm surges that topped 4 feet (1.2 meters) in some areas.

Rainfall totals from Lane were inflated by the storm’s slow-moving path across the Pacific Ocean. From August 22–26, Lane dumped more than four feet of rain across parts of the islands. The town of Mountain View on the Big Island of Hawaii received 52.02 inches (132 centimeters) of rain, the highest-recorded total from a single storm in the state’s history. The amount was the second highest ever recorded in the United States, trailing only the 60.58 inches (154 centimeters) of rain dumped by Hurricane Harvey on Nederland, Texas, in 2017. The airport at Hilo, the Big Island’s largest city, recorded 36.76 inches of rain, marking the city’s wettest four-day period since 1949. Weather stations on Maui also reported more than one foot of rain.

As Lane moved away from the islands, it continued to weaken until it became a tropical depression on August 26. It briefly reorganized into a tropical storm on August 27 before weakening again a day later. It eventually dissipated over the Pacific Ocean on August 29.

Impact

Hurricane Lane never made landfall on any of the islands but caused significant flooding and damage in many areas. Most of the damage occurred on the Big Island, which took the brunt of Lane’s rainfall for several days. Roads were washed out and numerous homes were flooded as rivers topped their banks. The heavy rains also caused landslides that forced the closure of several roads. Civil defense officials reported that about forty people near Hilo had to be rescued from their homes. More than one hundred people were evacuated from their homes in the town of Reeds Island. In some places, people had to use boats or surfboards to travel city streets. The beaches on several of the islands were covered with downed tree limbs and debris washed up by the strong storm surges.

Tropical storm-force winds knocked down trees and power lines on the Big Island and Maui. Thousands of residents were without power for several days. The downed lines ignited dry brush on Maui, sparking wildfires that were fanned by the high winds. The wildfires burned two thousand acres and destroyed twenty-one homes in the town of Lahaina. The islands of Kauai and Oahu were also impacted by the flooding, though to a lesser extent. Flooded and debris-covered roads made travel difficult and forced several main highways to close.

One person died on Kauai when he drowned in a swollen stream. Police say that the man had jumped into the stream to save a dog and was carried away by the force of the water. The death was the only reported fatality from the storm. More than three thousand homes and buildings were reported damaged from the flooding and winds. The total damage from Lane was estimated to be more than $250 million. About $55 million of that damage was covered by insurance.

Bibliography

Beven, John L., II. “Hurricane Lane.” National Hurricane Center, 2 Apr. 2019, www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/EP142018‗Lane.pdf. Accessed 26 Apr. 2019.

Griggs, Mary Beth. “Hurricanes Like Lane Rarely Hit Hawaii. Here’s Why.” Popular Science, 22 Aug. 2018, www.popsci.com/hurricane-lane-hawaii. Accessed 26 Apr. 2019.

Karimi, Faith, and Steve Almasy. “Hurricane Lane Weakens to Tropical Storm, but Flood Threat Continues in Hawaii.” CNN, 25 Aug. 2018, www.cnn.com/2018/08/24/us/hurricane-lane-hawaii-wxc/index.html. Accessed 26 Apr. 2019.

Kelleher, Jennifer Sinco. “Tropical Storm Lane Damage Assessment Under Way.” Associated Press, 27 Aug. 2018, apnews.com/e04ddcfc6dc94b0fb42b4574dbd05bb0. Accessed 26 Apr. 2019.

“1 Death From Hawaii Storm Lane Reported on Kauai.” US News & World Report, 29 Aug. 2018, www.usnews.com/news/best-states/hawaii/articles/2018-08-29/1-death-from-hawaii-storm-lane-reported-on-kauai. Accessed 26 Apr. 2019.

“Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2019, www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php. Accessed 26 Apr. 2019.

“Weather, Climate & Catastrophe Insight—2018 Annual Report.” Aon, 2019, thoughtleadership.aonbenfield.com/Documents/20190122-ab-if-annual-weather-climate-report-2018.pdf. Accessed 26 Apr. 2019.

Wilson, Christie. “Wind-Whipped Fire Ravages Lahaina Hillsides, Destroys 21 Structures.” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 26 Aug. 2018, www.staradvertiser.com/2018/08/26/hawaii-news/wind-whipped-fire-ravages-lahaina-hillsides-destroys-21-structures/. Accessed 26 Apr. 2019.