Updated 9/29/18: Hurricane Lane was downgraded to a tropical storm and did not make landfall on the Hawaiian islands. The islands experienced flooding and wastewater discharges due to the storm.
Hurricane Lane has been downgraded to a Category 2 storm, according to the most recent weather advisory from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Hurricane Lane is expected to weaken as it travels north, bypassing the Hawaiian islands. However, there remains a chance the storm may not veer north, and it could make landfall on the islands of Oahu or Molokai. Even if the hurricane does not make landfall, the Hawaiian islands still are expected to receive hurricane winds, storm surges, landslides, flash floods and heavy rains of up to 40 in. in some areas, according to CNN.
As of the morning of Aug. 24, the center of the storm was located 200 miles south of Honolulu. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released hurricane warnings for the islands of Oahu, Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe. The advisory on the Big Island had been downgraded to a tropical storm, as the eye of the hurricane travels northwest and past the island.
The hurricane is expected to continue to weaken into a tropical storm over the weekend. The Hawaiian islands still are expected to receive heavy rains and flash flood, which has already become a threat on some islands. Voluntary evacuations are underway and flash floods have occurred on the Big Island, as the storm’s wake nears the island.