Hurricane Lane is making its way towards Hawaii, and it’s already inundating large parts of the state. The Big Island, which lies farthest to the east in the Hawaiian Island chain, has been the focus of a deluge of near-biblical proportions. According to the National Weather Service, over the last few days, just over 31 inches of rain has fallen, turning the area’s rivers and streams into engorged torrents and the town of Hilo into a floodplain.
The storm, which was initially forecasted as a Category 4 on Friday night, has been downgraded to a Category 2. As of Friday morning, Hurricane Lane’s center was just under 200 miles from Honolulu. It’s going to be a wet and wild weekend for most of Hawaii—forecasters are calling for hurricane-force winds, up to 40 inches of rain, and storm surges nearing five feet higher than regular tides.
As of Friday afternoon, Hurricane Lane looks to be weakening. While previous forecasts estimated that the center of the storm would hit land, it seems to have shifted course—still, though, it is a powerful storm and will cause damage likely Friday night and through Saturday. “Regardless of weakening,” said AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski, “Lane will still be a dangerous hurricane when it passes close to the Hawaiian Islands.”
“Lane, while it has been downgraded, is wide and very moist. And it’s going to hang around for a while as it moves because it is moving slowly,” Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said after telling residents to stockpile at least two weeks’ worth of food and water. “And that is why we are taking so much precaution here.”
