courtesy NOAA

(BIVN) – Hurricane season in the Central Pacific Basin runs until the end of November, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has already published its 2024 Hurricane Season Summary. 

The 2024 hurricane season featured two tropical cyclones in the Central Pacific Hurricane Center’s area of responsibility. Of the two, Hurricane Hone brought the greatest impacts to Hawaiʻi.

From the NOAA report:

Hurricane Hone was the first tropical cyclone of the season in the central Pacific, developing about 1,000 miles east-southeast of the Big Island on August 22. This was the first tropical cyclone to form in the central Pacific since Tropical Storm Ema in October 2019. Hone continued to strengthen as it approached the state, eventually becoming a hurricane late on August 24 just over 50 miles south-southeast of Ka Lae, the southern tip of the Big Island.

Hone weakened to a Tropical Depression on August 29, then strengthened to a Tropical Storm again from August 30-September 1. During this time a Tropical Storm Watch was issued for Kure and Midway Atolls and portions of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument from Lisianski Island to Pearl and Hermes Atoll. Hone became extratropical just after crossing the International Date Line on September 1.

Hurricane Gilma moved into the basin from the east on August 27 and rapidly weakened before dissipating east of Hawaiʻi.

courtesy NOAA

Impacts to the State of Hawaiʻi: Heavy rain from Hurricane Hone caused flash flooding that damaged homes and closed several roads across Hawaii County on August 25, leading to several million dollars in damage. Tropical storm force winds brought down trees and utility poles on the Big Island, with reports of damage on Maui and Oahu as well. Additional details, including wind and rainfall observations, are included in the preliminary Post Tropical Cyclone Report for Hurricane Hone.

Hurricane Season Outlook: NOAA’s 2024 central Pacific hurricane season outlook, issued on May 21, 2024, called for one to four tropical cyclones in the central Pacific basin, with a 50% chance of a below normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season, and a 20% chance of an above normal season. At the start of the 2024 season, El Niño conditions in the equatorial Pacific quickly transitioned to the cold phase of La Niña, which were then expected to continue through the summer.