Hurricane Lane Nears Hawaiian Islands

Hurricane Lane has moved closer to the Hawaiian islands with sustained winds of 145 mph. The storm is expected to pass near or potentially make landfall Aug. 23 to 24, bringing with it heavy rains, landslides and storm surges. If the Category 4 cyclone hits the islands, it would become the first major hurricane to make landfall there in 26 years, according to CNN.

Even if Hurricane Lane does not make landfall, the Hawaiian islands are still anticipating heavy rains, high winds, and potential landslides, storm surges and flash floods. As of the morning of Aug. 23, tropical storm force winds ranged from 39 to 73 mph on portions of the Big Island, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

“The combination of a dangerous storm surge and large breaking waves will raise water levels by as much as 2 to 4 ft above normal tide levels along south and west facing shores near the center of Lane,” the Central Pacific Hurricane Center said.

The last hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii was Hurricane Iniki in 1992, potentially because hurricanes of this magnitude are more frequent in the Atlantic or Eastern Pacific than the Central Pacific. Hurricane Lane’s tropical storm force winds stretch over 230 miles and all Hawaiian islands are under weather alerts.

On Aug. 22, President Donald Trump issued a disaster declaration for the Hawaii islands. Hawaiian residents are bracing for the storm by stocking up on food and water supplies, as reported by NBC News.

Track the storm on CNN's storm tracker.