Thomas Edwards '20

by Thomas Edwards '20 on September 5, 2018
News Co-Editor

Hawaii was hit by Hurricane Lane this past weekend, breaking records, including the preliminary rainfall which totaled 51.53 inches, reported in Mountain View, Hawaii. This places Hurricane Lane third for highest preliminary rainfall, according to the Washington Post’s report. 

The Island of Hawai‘i experienced the most rainfall of all the islands, totaling more than four feet of rain. This caused washed out roads, damaged homes, and dozens left in need of rescue. 

Torrential rain over the course of five days flooded entire neighborhoods. The Wailuku River has been taking flood water to the Pacific Ocean; however, rain is expected to continue over the next few days, so crews are working around the clock to make sure debris does not pile up.

While most of the rain that hit the Island of Hawaii caused flooding, the rest of the rain went on to create a steamy spectacle. Since May 3, 2018, lava has been spreading across the island from the summit of Kilauea, and, while a majority of the lava flow has stopped, most of the lava is still hot enough to boil water. The combination of this hot material and the torrential downpours from Hurricane Lane created a steam white-out, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. 

Hawaii lucked out, however when Hurricane Lane became a Tropical Storm just before grazing the state, doing less damage than expected.