A short note on the intensification and extreme rainfall associated with hurricane lane

Abstract

Hurricanes Lane intensified in the Central Pacific with data from reconnaissance aircraft indicating it reached category 5 intensity on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale while moving closer to Hawaii. The cyclone weakened as it moved closer to the Hawaiian Islands with its closest approach at 1500UTC 25 August 2018 when 175km south southwest of Honolulu with a central pressure of 995hPa. The impact on Hawaii was mainly record rainfall and the structure of this weather system is examined here to show how the winds turning anticyclonically with height in the lower to middle level troposphere play a crucial role in the intensification of Hurricane Lane to category 5 intensity and the generation of extreme rainfall. Keywords: complete eyewall, record rainfall, floods