Hurricane Lane Poses Unprecedented Threat to Hawaii, Worst in Decades

Hurricane Lane’s outer bands pummeled the shores of Hawaii‘s Big Island with torrential rain Thursday morning, resulting in landslides and threatening serious flooding as the Category 4 storm moves closer.

AccuWeather reports that Lane has the potential to be the single-costliest hurricane in recorded history of Hawaii and may end up causing the most expensive hurricane damage in all of the country for the 2018 hurricane season.

The center of the storm is expected to move very close to the main islands or cross into land Thursday through Friday, forecasters said. The storm, which could become the first major cyclone to make landfall on Hawaii in 26 years, could be so devastating that authorities are urging residents to set aside two weeks’ worth of food and water.

“Be prepared to shelter in place with 14 days of food supplies and water and any other necessities,” Hawaii Gov. David Ige said at a news conference Wednesday.

With maximum winds sustained near 130 mph, the storm’s center was in the Pacific Ocean about 210 miles south-southwest of the Big Island town of Kailua-Kona around 5 a.m. HT Thursday (11 a.m. ET). Around 10-30 inches of rain is forecast through the weekend, prompting concern for landslides, which were blocking parts of Route 19 on the Big Island’s northern tip, according to the county civil defense agency.

Around 7 to 12 inches of rain had already fallen on parts of the Big Island by early Thursday, the National Weather Service office in Honolulu said.

Buses in Honolulu have been shuttling residents in need to shelters. All public schools have been canceled until further notice, and many state employees have been asked to stay home.

In addition, tropical storm force winds (39-73 mph) stretch out to 140 miles, so a widespread impact is expected even if the hurricane doesn’t make landfall.

All of the Hawaiian islands are under weather alerts. A hurricane warning is in effect for the Big Island as well as Maui County and Oahu, which means hurricane conditions are expected there. Kauai and Niihau are under a hurricane watch, meaning hurricane conditions are possible and that winds of at least 39 mph are anticipated in the coming days.

The hurricane conditions have shut down filming on rebooted series Magnum P.I. and Hawaii Five-0, with both shows forced to temporarily halt production Thursday until further notice. Producers on both CBS shows were said to have been keeping a close eye on the approaching Lane, ultimately choosing to shut down production as “the safety of the cast and crew are the top priority for CBS.”

Hurricane Lane is something of rarity for Hawaii, as it’s just the second hurricane since 2014 to pass within 200 nautical miles of the Big Island, Maui, Honolulu or Kaui — and the 15th since 1950.