Hurricane Lane NOAA 8pm update: Hurricane Lane moving SLOWLY towards Hawaiian islands

“Dangerous” Hurricane Lane is tracking north-west and is on course to pass “very close” to the islands on Thursday and Friday, the latest update reports.  

At 8PM HST (0700 BST), the eye of Hurricane Lane was located near latitude 16.0 North, longitude 156.7 West.

The storm is currently 260 miles (415km) south of Kailua-Kona, and 375 miles (605km) south-southeast of Honolulu.

Maximum sustained winds are 145mph (230km/h) with higher gusts as the storm moves west-northwest at 7mph (11 km/h).

The track is expected to turn north-northwest later today.

On the forecast track, the centre of Hurricane Lane will move very close to or over the main Hawaiian Islands from Thursday through to Saturday.

Lane has been downgraded to a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

Some weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours, but Lane is forecast to remain a dangerous hurricane as it draws closer to the Hawaiian Islands.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles (65km) from the centre and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles (220km).

The following watches and warnings are in place with this advisory:

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for:

• Oahu
• Hawaii County
• Maui County, including the islands of Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for:

• Kauai County, including the islands of Kauai and Niihau

A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area.

NOAA says the warning is typically issued 36 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous.

Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.

A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area.

A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous.

For storm information specific to your area, please monitor products issued by the National Weather Service office in Honolulu Hawaii.

The following hazards are expected to affect land:

Wind:

Tropical storm conditions are expected within the Hurricane Warning area beginning late tonight into early Thursday morning, with hurricane conditions expected somewhere within the warning area on Thursday.

Tropical storm conditions are possible within the Hurricane Watch area beginning Thursday into Thursday night, with hurricane conditions possible late Thursday night into Friday.

Rainfall:

Excessive rainfall associated with Lane is expected to affect portions of the Hawaiian Islands from late today into the weekend, leading to flash flooding and landslides.

Lane is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 10 to 15 inches with isolated amounts greater than 20 inches over the Hawaiian Islands.

Surf:

Large swells generated by Lane will impact the Hawaiian Islands, beginning this morning on the Big Island, spreading across the remainder of the island chain on today.

These swells will produce large and potentially damaging surf along exposed west, south and east facing shorelines.

Storm surge:

The combination of a dangerous storm surge and large breaking waves will raise water levels by as much as 2 to 4 feet above normal tide levels along south and west facing shores near the centre of Lane.

The surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves.

The next advisory will be issued at 11pm HST (10am BST).

Follow live updates as the situation progresses here.