Hurricane Lane is the first category 5 hurricane in the North Central Pacific (140°W-180°) since Ioke in 2006. Winds exceeding 150 miles an hour are surrounding the eye of the hurricane.

This massive storm is aimed to take a direct hit on the State of Hawaii. Hurricane warnings have been announced for Hawaii and Maui counties, and a hurricane watch was announced for Honolulu county. The storm could hit between Wednesday and Friday, depending on the island and the direction of the hurricane.

Airlines serving Hawaii, starting with Hawaiian Airlines, are allowing passengers to change their reservations. A State of Emergency is announced in preparation for the storm.

Schools, universities, and many public institutions will be closed as of Wednesday.
Tourists should be aware of the dangers and take shelter prior to the storm arriving, specifically if visitors stay in remote areas and fragile oceanfront buildings.

Today, a run on stores like Costco was visible. Flights had long standby list of tourists wanting to leave the islands. It’s important to have enough food and water for several days. The electric system in Hawaii may go down for a prolonged period, and flash flood warnings, mudslides, and record high surf can be expected along with catastrophic rain.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority issued the following statement:

As of 6:30 PM HST, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center reported that Hurricane Lane has strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority has created a special Alert page on its website to provide industry partners, residents and visitors with information, updates and online resources about Hurricane Lane and its effects on the Hawaiian Islands.

The Alert page for Hurricane Lane can be accessed from HTA’s home page or by clicking on this link.

Our team at HTA is closely monitoring the progress of Hurricane Lane and will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available.