Hurricane Lane (2018)

Hurricane Lane was a powerful tropical cyclone that brought torrential rainfall and strong winds to Hawaii during late August 2018. Lane was the twelfth named storm, sixth hurricane, fourth major hurricane, and first of three Category 5 hurricanes of the record-breaking 2018 Pacific hurricane season. The storm was the wettest on record in Hawaii, with peak rainfall accumulations of 58 inches along the eastern slopes of Mauna Loa. Total economic losses from the hurricane exceeded USD 250 million.

About Hurricane Lane (2018) in brief

Summary Hurricane Lane (2018)Hurricane Lane was a powerful tropical cyclone that brought torrential rainfall and strong winds to Hawaii during late August 2018. Lane was the twelfth named storm, sixth hurricane, fourth major hurricane, and the first of three Category 5 hurricanes of the record-breaking 2018 Pacific hurricane season. The storm was the wettest on record in Hawaii, with peak rainfall accumulations of 58 inches along the eastern slopes of Mauna Loa. Lane prompted the issuance of hurricane watches and warnings for every island in Hawaii. Total economic losses from the hurricane exceeded USD 250 million. In September, President Donald Trump declared much of Hawaii a disaster area; the Federal Emergency Management Agency ultimately provided about USD 10 million in aid. The cyclone originated from an area of low pressure that formed well southwest of Mexico on August 13. It tracked west through a region of favorable atmospheric and oceanic conditions, the system steadily intensified over the following days. It reached an initial peak as a Category 4 hurricane on August 18. Lane peaked with winds of 160 mph and a barometric pressure of 926 mbar. Thereafter, the hurricane turned north and slowed. During this period, torrential rains battered much of the Hawaiian Islands, and it degraded to a tropical depression by August 28 before dissipating the following day. One fatality occurred on Kauai, and Landslides and flooding damaged roads statewide; repairs concluded in April 2019.

The hurricane’s eye became distinct on August 21 and accompanying convection became more intense, with a blend of data yielding an estimated intensity of 150mph. Continued observations by Hurricane Hunters indicated Lane achieved Category 5 strength around 00: 00:00 UTC on August 22. It then weakened slightly before regaining strength and reaching Category  5 status on August 23 to the south of Hawaii. Lane then dissipated the next day. It moved west across the Atlantic with little to no convection before crossing Central America and entering the Eastern Pacific basin on August 8. Favorable environmental conditions, including warm sea surface temperatures averaging 81. 5–82. 4 °F and low wind shear, fostered intensification. By the morning of August 18, the storm displayed a well-defined 17 mi wide eye surrounded by very deep convection. Around 12: 00 UTC that day, Lane reached its initial peak intensity with winds of 140 mph, approximately 1,810 mi southwest of Baja California Sur. This ranked it as aCategory 4 on the Saffir–Simpson scale. By August 16 to 18, Lane underwent rapid intensification, and microwave satellite imagery showed an eye at the lower levels of the cyclone, with winds exceeding 74 mph. This marked its intensification to a hurricane, with Winds exceeding 74 mph. The storm is estimated to have become a tropical storm later that day. Based on Dvorak satellite intensity estimates, the National Hurricane Center assigned it the name Lane.