Hurricane Lane, now a Category 5 storm, is heading toward Hawaii
The National Weather Service announced Tuesday night that Hurricane Lane, an erratic storm currently about 500 miles southeast of Honolulu, had strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 160 miles per hour. Hawaii's Big Island is under a hurricane warning and most of the other Hawaiian islands are under hurricane watch. "On the forecast track, the center of Lane will move very close to or over the main Hawaiian Islands from Thursday through Saturday," potentially bringing devastating winds and life-threatening flash floods, the weather service said, but "it is much too early to confidently determine which, if any, of the main Hawaiian islands will be directly impacted by Lane."
Even if Hurricane Lane doesn't make landfall, its rain and wind could cause significant damage to Hawaii. Schools will be closed on the Big Island and in Maui County starting Wednesday, and Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) said all nonessential state employees on Maui and Hawaii islands can take administrative leave Wednesday through Friday. Hawaii hasn't seen a Category 5 hurricane since 1994, NWS says. Peter Weber
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Did Alex Pretti’s killing open a GOP rift on guns?Talking Points Second Amendment groups push back on White House narrative
-
The 8 best hospital dramas of all timethe week recommends From wartime period pieces to of-the-moment procedurals, audiences never tire of watching doctors and nurses do their lifesaving thing
-
‘Implementing strengthened provisions help advance aviation safety’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Death toll from Southeast Asia storms tops 1,000speed read Catastrophic floods and landslides have struck Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia
-
Hurricane Melissa slams Jamaica as Category 5 stormSpeed Read The year’s most powerful storm is also expected to be the strongest ever recorded in Jamaica
-
Renewables top coal as Trump seeks reversalSpeed Read For the first time, renewable energy sources generated more power than coal, said a new report
-
China vows first emissions cut, sidelining USSpeed Read The US, the world’s No. 2 emitter, did not attend the New York summit
-
At least 800 dead in Afghanistan earthquakespeed read A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit a mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan
-
Massive earthquake sends tsunami across PacificSpeed Read Hundreds of thousands of people in Japan and Hawaii were told to evacuate to higher ground
-
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue chief resignsSpeed Read Ken Pagurek has left the organization, citing 'chaos'
-
Wildfires destroy historic Grand Canyon lodgeSpeed Read Dozens of structures on the North Rim have succumbed to the Dragon Bravo Fire
