Tropical Storm Lane has passed Hawaii and is now approximately 520 miles west-southwest of Honolulu, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center, which was posted at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time on Monday. The system, which had briefly weakened to a tropical depression over the weekend, strengthened again Monday morning to become a bare-minimum tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. Lane is expected to keep heading west, turning toward the northwest on Tuesday, weakening into a post-tropical remnant. No further storm watches or warnings are in effect, although the National Hurricane Center is still advising those in the northeastern Hawaiian islands to continue to monitor the progress of the storm.
In the latest statement from the Hawaiian Tourism Authority (HTA), which was posted Friday evening, President and CEO George D. Szigeti called the weakening of Lane to tropical storm status a “huge relief for all of Hawaii, as the entire state has been staring at the rare possibility of being struck by a major hurricane this past week.”
When it passed Hawaii the storm did cause major flooding, according to CBS News, dumping more than 4 feet of rain and washing out roads, damaging homes and forcing dozens to require rescue. The Wailuku River is taking the flood waters out to the Pacific Ocean, although some rain is expected to continue over the next few days.
In terms of cruise travel, the storm delayed the departure of Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America from Saturday, August 25, to Monday, August 27. Other major cruise lines who call at Hawaii, including UnCruise Adventures and Princess Cruises, do not have any ships there at this time.
In terms of air travel, the HTA warned that a number of cancellations when hurricane warnings were in effect has created a backlog of travelers heading home.
Hawaiian Airlines is offering guests set to fly through August 28 to rebook through September 9 with no change fee and no difference in fare, so long as travel is between the same city pair and in the same compartment. Travelers can also rebook for travel September 10 or later with no change fee, but a difference in fare may apply.
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