Hurricane Lane threatens Hawaii: What to know about the rare storm's path
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hawaii residents and visitors are bracing for Hurricane Lane as the now Category 1 storm continues on its path toward the Pacific state.
Hurricanes are rare in Hawaii, but Lane is expected to bring heavy rain and flooding, dangerous surf and strong winds as it continues to churn toward the islands.
Read on for a look at its path, and what to know about the hurricane as it barrels closer to Hawaii.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Where is Lane now?
Lane is approximately 115 miles west-southwest of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center said in an 8 p.m. ET advisory Friday. It is about 120 miles south of Honolulu, Hawaii.
With maximum sustained winds around 85 mph, Lane is moving north at approximately 2 mph as of Friday evening.
"A turn toward the west is anticipated on Saturday, with an increase in forward speed,” an earlier advisory said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}WHAT IS THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE?
Lane is currently a Category 1 hurricane.
"The center of Lane will remain dangerously close to portions of the central Hawaiian islands later today and tonight,” the advisory said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}What else should I know about the hurricane?
A hurricane warning is in effect for Oahu and Maui counties.
A tropical storm warning has been issued for Hawaii County, while a tropical storm watch is in effect for Kauai County.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Isolated maximum rainfall amounts of more than 20 inches is possible in certain areas, according to Fox News’ senior meteorologist Janice Dean. It’s becoming increasingly likely all of the islands will experience at least tropical storm-force winds, she said.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige signed an emergency proclamation Tuesday declaring a disaster emergency relief period through August 29, which would provide relief for damages, losses and suffering as a result of the storm.
He also is allowing for nonessential state employees on the Big Island and Maui to go on administrative leave from Wednesday to Friday as the hurricane approaches. However, employees on Hawaii and Maui islands who work in disaster response and in hospitals or prisons are required to report to their jobs.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Michael Lowry, a strategic planner at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, stressed the storm should be taken “seriously.”
“This isn’t Florida. The landscape and infrastructure are different,” Lowry said in a tweet.
The storm, initially listed as a Category 5, was progressively downgraded throughout the week before becoming a Category 1 by Friday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}HAWAII BRACES FOR HURRICANE LANE, AS OFFICIALS SAY THERE ARE NOT ‘ENOUGH SHELTERS FOR EVERYONE’
Kauai resident Mike Miranda was 12 when Hurricane Iniki hit, and she said people already are comparing that storm to Lane.
“I remember how very little rain fell. But I remember the wind being the strongest force of nature I’ve ever witnessed, and probably the scariest sounds I’ve ever heard in my life,” he told The Associated Press.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Utility poles were down all over the island, and his seventh-grade classes were held in Army tents for several months.
Fox News’ Travis Fedschun, Amy Lieu and The Associated Press contributed to this report.