Little more than stiff breeze blows through during 2024 hurricane season besides Hone and Gilma

Save for one mischievous tropical cyclone that was anything but sweet like its name sounds and another that fizzled out before reaching the islands; albeit, humidity in its wake socked the state in a sweltering sauna, the 2024 Central Pacific hurricane season blew through the basin — and over the Hawaiian Islands — with little more than a stiff breeze.

Hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30 each year, featured just two tropical cyclones — Hurricanes Hone and Gilma.

The number was pretty much right on the money as far as what the Central Pacific Hurricane Center predicted heading into the season, calling for one to four tropical cyclones, with El Niño conditions, or warming ocean surface temperatures, in place heading into the 2024 season.

The hurricane center’s season outlook issued May 21 also prognosticated there was a 50% chance for a below normal season. An average year sees four to five tropical cyclones.

Conditions in the Pacific, however, transitioned to a La Niña event and ushering in cooler ocean surface temperatures, after hurricane season began and continued through the summer, reducing the amount of heat, and therefore energy, from which tropical cyclones could feed.

Hurricane Hone — which in Hawaiian can mean to be saucy, to tease, mischievous, to be tricky, a vexation or to run upon and at the same time also honey or to extact honey and even sweet — was the first tropical cyclone of the season in the Central Pacific.

The storm developed Aug. 22, about 1,000 miles east-southeast of the Big Island, and was the first tropical cyclone to form in the Central Pacific since Tropical Storm Ema in October 2019.

Hone strengthen as it approached the state, eventually becoming a Category 1 hurricane late Aug. 24, with maximum wind speeds of 85 mph, as it made its closest approach to the state and reached peak intensity just more than 50 miles south-southeast of Ka Lae, the southern tip of the Big Island.

Hawaiʻi County took the brunt of the storm’s wrath from Aug. 24-26 as it skirted to the south of the island, causing several millions of dollars in damages.

Rain, flooding and wind were the biggest threats Hone delivered.

Outer rainbands produced a prolonged period of heavy rainfall from Aug. 24-25, with several rain gauges along the windward and southeast slopes of the Big Island reporting 2-day totals greater than 20 inches.

A gauge in Hakalau recorded 28.82 inches of rainfall during those 2 days of the storm, the greatest amount reported.

The U.S. Geological Survey gauge at Saddle Quarry reported 25.03 inches, with National Weather Service gauges at Kulani, Mountain View and Waiākea Uka reporting 24.46, 21.30 and 21.04 inches, respectively, to round out the top 5 greatest rainfall totals from Hone.

Fortunately, rain rates were mostly below an inch per hour, which mitigated more serious flooding beyond road closures in low-lying areas.

The most significant road impacts included the closures of Highway 11 at Kawa Flats, Cane Haul Road and Wood Valley Road near Pāhala, as well as North Kulani Road near Mountain View.

Strong winds also developed during the day Aug. 24 in advance of Hone, then continued into Aug. 25 as the storm passed the Big Island. There were several reports of damage from trees and utility poles blown down.

Thousands lost power, with many having to wait several days — some even after the hurricane had passed — for their power to be restored.

Hone weakened to a tropical depression Aug. 29, then strengthened to a tropical storm again from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1, causing a tropical storm watch to be issued for Kure and Midway Atolls and portions of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, from Lisianski Island to Pearl and Hermes Atoll.

The storm system became extratropical later Sept. 1 just after crossing the International Date Line.

The U.S. Air Force Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Aircraft Operations Center Hurricane Hunters flew a total of eight missions this year in the Central Pacific in support of forecasting operations for Hurricane Hone.

Air Force C-130 aircraft conducted five missions through Hone and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Gulfstream conducted three high-level weather surveillance missions, gathering extremely valuable weather data used by the Central Pacific Hurricane Center to improve the accuracy of forecasts for Hawaiʻi.

You can learn more about Hurricane Hone and its impacts on the state by checking out the post tropical cyclone report from the National Weather Service forecast office in Honolulu.

Hurricane Gilma moved into the Central Pacific basin Aug. 27 from the east, reaching maximum wind speeds of 85 mph before rapidly weakened and then dissipating Aug. 29 well east of Hawaiʻi.

Gilma, however, left behind a sticky humid air mass that turned the Big Island into a sauna for Labor Day Weekend.