Hurricane Safety and Preparedness

Hurricane Lane Was the Third Wettest U.S. Tropical Cyclone on Record (Recap)

At a Glance

Lane rapidly weakened as it approached Hawaii.
Heavy rain was the main impact, particularly on Hawaii's Big Island.
Lane is the third wettest U.S. tropical cyclone on record.

Hurricane Lane weakened rapidly as it approached Hawaii but still brought flooding to the Big Island where rainfall totals from the storm ranked among the heaviest for any tropical cyclone in U.S. history.

(IMPACTS: Flooding, Mudslides on Big Island)

More than 50 inches of rain was reported in one location on the Big Island, and an additional four locations saw more than 40 inches of rain.

Mountain View, located in the higher elevations of the Big Island, received 51.53 inches of rain from noon Aug. 22 to 4 a.m. Aug. 26, local time. Not far behind was Waiakea Uka, located just south of Hilo on the Big Island, where rainfall totaled 49.10 inches.

Lane's maximum rainfall totals on the Big Island and Maui. Yellow and orange shadings depict heavier rain totals while light blue and green is where rainfall totals are much less.

Lane ranks third on the list of rainiest U.S. tropical cyclones on record (preliminary), topped only by Hiki in 1950 (52 inches) and Harvey in 2017 (60.58 inches).

Hilo picked up 36.76 inches of rain in the four-day period from Aug. 22-25, making it the wettest four-day period ever observed in Hilo in records dating to 1949. Fifteen inches fell on Aug. 24 alone, allowing it to become the fifth-wettest calendar day on record. August 2018 is also the wettest August on record in Hilo.

Pahoa, on the Big Island, saw 3.36 inches of rain in one hour on the evening of Aug. 24, 1.28 inches of which fell in just 15 minutes.

The heavy rain triggered road flooding on the Big Island, including in the town of Hilo, and mudslides and landslides occurred, blocking numerous roads. The Bayfront area was flooded by overflow from the Alenaio Stream.

Heavy rain also forced road closures on the island of Maui. The Piilani Highway was closed near Kaupo due to flooding, and Highway 20 was closed due to landslides. A U.S. Geological Survey station on Maui at West Wailuaiki received 24.71 inches of rain.

Although Lane weakened dramatically as it approached Hawaii, it still brought some gusty winds to parts of the islands.

A few gusts around 50 mph were clocked in Maui County, in Kaneloa and Maalaea Bay, on Thursday night, Aug. 23. Trees were downed in a few parts of the county Thursday night, Aug. 23.

A brush fire in Lahaina that prompted evacuations was blamed on the storm's winds. Sustained winds over 30 mph were reported, with gusts over 55 mph at times. A second fire also developed just four miles away.

Waianae, on the western shores of Oahu, reported a wind gust of 55 mph late Friday, Aug. 24.

Other high wind gusts included:

the Oahu Forest: 74 mph
Kohala Ranch: 68 mph
Kawaihae: 64 mph
Maui Airport: 58 mph
Honolulu: 45 mph

As Lane approached Hawaii, a NOAA buoy located near the hurricane's center reported peak sustained winds of 83 mph with a gust to 107 mph early on Thursday, Aug. 23, local time. Light winds were reported a short time later as Lane's eye passed directly over the buoy.

Lane formed as a tropical storm in the eastern Pacific on Aug. 15 and became a hurricane the next day.

Tuesday evening, Aug. 21, Hurricane Lane joined an exclusive company of central Pacific Category 5 hurricanes, the first since Ioke in 2006, only the second on record within 350 miles of Hawaii (John in 1994 was the other) and the most intense North Pacific hurricane east of the International Date Line since Patricia in 2015.