Posted on: Thursday, July 30, 2009
Weather system southeast of Hilo upgraded to tropical storm Lana
Advertiser Staff
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Image from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center Website.
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HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS TIPS
Know the history of high wave and storm surge, high winds, and heavy rains and flash flooding in your area. Learn the location of officially designated civil defense shelters for your area. Check the condition of emergency equipment, such as flashlights and battery-powered radios. Ensure that enough nonperishable food and water is on hand to last for at least five to seven days. Prepare a survival kit for home use or to take to a shelter. Use the list in your telephone book as a guideline. Be aware of the structural limitations of your home and reinforce your home against high winds. Obtain and store materials such as plywood and plastic necessary to secure your home. Check your home for loose and clogged rain gutters and downspouts. Keep trees and shrubbery trimmed. Cut weak branches and trees that could fall or bump against the house. When trimming, try to create a channel through the foliage to the center of the tree to allow for air flow.For more information, go to Hawai'i State Civil Defense's Web site at www.scd.hawaii.gov.
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The Central Pacific Hurricane Center said today that an area of thunderstorms 1,045 miles east-southeast of Hilo has gathered into a tropical storm — Lana.
Lana is moving west at about 18 mph and is expected to continue doing so over the next couple of days.
Its maximum sustained winds have increased to nearly 40 mph, with higher gusts.
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center says additional strengthening is expected during the next 48 hours.
If the storm continues on its current path, Lana should pass well below Hawaii. A five-day track puts the storm at Johnston Atoll on Monday.
Earlier today, the hurricane center classified the system as a tropical depression, the first stage in a storm's possible development into a hurricane.
Tropical storms carry sustained winds of 39 mph to 73 mph. Sustained winds of 74 mph to 95 mph would make it a Category 1 hurricane.
For updates of tropical storm Lana, go to:
www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/tc_graphics/latest_w.php?stormid=EP062009
