LANE WEAKENS, HAWAII SURVIVES

Day 115 of the Lower Puna Eruption, all seems quiet.

******************

Lane is now a tropical storm, located beyond the horizon, a hundred miles south:

However, some rains are continuing, with Waikea Uka, a part of Hilo, where Pearl grew up, getting close to 46 inches.  A quick summary:

• No hurricane in recorded history has ever yet made landfall over the Big Island, Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Oahu.
• The composite average of all the computer projections proved to be incredibly accurate:

• Hurricane Lane (top right) was barreling in a westward direction, a bit south of the the path followed by Hurricane Hector (bottom right), which passed 200 miles south of the Big Island at 155 MPH on August 8.
• But some models began to show Lane, then at 150 MPH, actually making a right turn north.  Later, we learned that this occurred because the high pressure zone moved east.

• Then a complicated array of models crazily showed a slight turn a bit east of north when approaching Maui, then, a sudden 90 degree zag to the west.  I've never seen this kind of activity, and who could believe it?
• Most of these projections indicated a quick weakening, and we now are familiar with the term, wind shear, high winds which lopped off the hurricane top.  Lane was thus weakened, with normal trade winds indeed turning the storm left to the west.

So we are now safe and mostly well.  Maui had three brushfires, probably not caused by Lane, destroying 7 homes and burning up to 3000 acres.  No word on what caused those fires, but there were thunderstorms.

Yesterday, feeling I needed some exercise, almost went for a walk.  Stepped out to be met by hurricane force winds.  This was mostly because 15 Craigside features a well-designed wind tunnel.  However, there was a reported gust of 74 MPH on the slopes of Punchbowl, nearby where I live.  I cancelled my hike.

Today, watch Honolulu play Georgia again, for the South Williamsport Little League National Championship.  9:30AM Hawaii time.  The victor tomorrow plays the winner of the Japan-South Korea game on Sunday.

NCAA football begins this weekend and Hawaii plays at Colorado State.  CBS sports channel at 1:30 PM, HST.  In Hawaii, this will not be your regular CBS station, but 247 or 1247.  I believe you need to subscribe to the Spectrum sports package.  In three weeks I fly to New York for the Hawaii-Army game at West Point.

-