Hurricane Lane, at the time of writing, is a category 5 storm, and it is also very close to the Hawaiian islands. As I wrote earlier in the week, strong hurricanes rarely impact the islands because of a barrier of cooler water “upwelling” from deeper ocean and changes in upper level winds called wind shear. However, Hurricane Lane is taking a track from the south rather than from the east into Hawaii, which is often favorable for storms to survive. Here is the latest on Hurricane Lane, and what meteorology experts are saying about it.
Hurricane Lane is the second category 5 hurricane on record to pass within 350 miles (or less) of South Point, Hawaii. The only other storm to do that is Hurricane John in 1994 according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Many people may remember Hurricane Iniki in 1992. It was the most powerful hurricane on record to strike Hawaii but was a category 4 storm at landfall. The National Hurricane Center update as of 11:00 pm HST or (0900 UTC) notes:
