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Hurricane Iselle

Hurricane Iselle was the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall on the island of Hawaii in recorded history. The tenth named storm, fifth hurricane, and fourth major hurricane of the 2014 hurricane season, Iselle developed from an area of disturbed weather southwest of Mexico on July 31, 2014. Assuming a west-northwest course that it would maintain throughout its existence, generally favorable atmospheric conditions allowed for gradual strengthening, with the cyclone attaining hurricane status a day after formation. Continued strengthening progressed for several days up until August 4, when Iselle reached peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 947 mbar, making it a Category 4 hurricane. Thereafter, Iselle encountered hostile environmental conditions and quickly weakened before making landfall on the Big Island on August 8 as a moderate tropical storm. Its passage over the island disrupted the cyclone, and Iselle later dissipated on August 9.

Meteorological history
In late July 2014, computer models began to indicate the possible formation of a low-pressure area off the coast of southwestern Mexico, prompting the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to assess the region with a low probability of tropical cyclogenesis on July 24. These forecasts began to come to fruition on July 28 when an area of thunderstorms associated with a tropical wave developed off the Mexican coast. Tracking westward in favorable conditions, the system organized over the following days. A tropical depression formed by 12:00 UTC on July 31. Six hours later, the NHC upgraded the depression to Tropical Storm Iselle due to the system's organization and the detection of tropical storm-force winds by the MetOp-B scatterometer. Steady intensification continued after formation, with the NHC indicating the possibility of rapid intensification. On August 1, Iselle began to develop an eye, and this progressive pattern of organization prompted the NHC to upgrade the storm to hurricane status at 00:00 UTC the following day. moderate wind shear briefly impacted the hurricane on August 2, preventing thunderstorms from intensifying and causing the storm to become slightly malformed vertically. However, these conditions abated shortly afterwards, allowing Iselle to resume strengthening and reach Category 2 hurricane status late that same day. With wind shear no longer impinging on the organization of Iselle, the tropical cyclone gradually became more symmetric, allowing for the hurricane's once ragged eye to clear itself of cloud cover and the storm to intensify to major hurricane status on August 3. Attaining some annular tropical cyclone characteristics, Iselle reaching Category 4 strength at 12:00 UTC on August 4. Following peak intensity, the combination of increasing wind shear and lowering sea surface temperatures began to slowly weaken Iselle, bringing it below Category 4 intensity early on August 5. Continued wind shear caused the storm to further degrade and its eye to become ragged in appearance. The NHC downgraded Iselle below major hurricane intensity at 18:00 UTC that day. However, the suppressed wind shear allowed for the hurricane to reorganize and maintain a large eye as it tracked towards Hawaii, and Iselle reached its secondary peak intensity with winds of 100 mph (155 km/h) at 00:00 UTC on August 7. Strong wind shear disrupted the system, and Iselle weakened to a tropical storm the next day before making landfall at 12:30 UTC along the Kau coast of the Big island with winds of 60 mph (95 km/h). The mountainous terrain of the island largely disrupted the main cyclonic circulation of Iselle, which manifested as a collection of small vortices south of the Hawaiian islands. Due to the loss of any sustained thunderstorm activity at the storm's center, the CPHC decided to downgrade Iselle to a remnant area of low pressure on August 9; at the time, the disturbance was centered roughly 200 mi (320 km) west-southwest of Honolulu. Iselle's remnant low dissipated two days later. ==Preparations==
Preparations
At 21:00 UTC on August 5, the CPHC issued a tropical storm watch for the island of Hawaii; forecasts issued by the NHC as early as August 2 illustrated the possibility of Iselle tracking over or in the vicinity of the Hawaiian archipelago. As the hurricane tracked closer to the islands, watches were extended as far westward as Oahu. The first hurricane warning associated with Iselle was issued on August 6 for Hawaii County. Later that day, a tropical storm warning was issued for Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, and Oahu. The potential for flooding also resulted in the issuance of a flash flood watch for the entirety the island chain. By August 9, all warnings were lifted as Iselle no longer posed a threat to the islands. In anticipation for the potential impacts of both Iselle and Hurricane Julio, Hawaii governor Neil Abercrombie signed an emergency proclamation, thereby allocating resources to future relief and mitigation operations. All public schools in Hawaii County were also closed by the department. Both the University of Hawaii and the Hawaii Community College closed their campuses during Iselle's passage. The Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources closed all of its managed lands in Hawaii and Maui counties and closed some of its campgrounds and wilderness areas in Oahu and Kauai counties. All state offices and courthouses in Hawaii County were closed with the retention of only essential staff. United Airlines and Island Air later took the same accommodative measures. The latter later cancelled all of its inter-Hawaiian flights on August 7, with the exception of flights serving Kauai; American Airlines and numerous other airlines would follow suit as the threat of Iselle neared. The Salvation Army readied its resources in preparation for relief operations for Iselle in Hawaii. ==Impact==
Impact
Tropical storm-force winds affected much of the state as Iselle moved through, except Niihau, the rest of the Hawaiian Islands all reporting gusts over . Hurricane-force winds were confined to Mauna Kea on the Big Island, where a peak gust of was observed. Heavy rains affected most of the southern islands, with some areas of the Big Island seeing more than due to orographic lift from the southerly flow on the backside of Iselle. The greatest total was at the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, where was observed. Areas on the leeward side of the island saw substantially less rain; Kona International Airport received only during the storm's passage. Kauai saw rains in excess of in several areas and a maximum of at a United States Geological Survey station along the Kilohana Ridge. Totals peaked at to the north on Oahu, while Molokai and Lanai received generally negligible totals. Swells from hurricanes Iselle and Julio also produced waves along the eastern shores of the Hawaiian islands. These winds also felled power lines, causing widespread outages impacting roughly 23,000 electricity customers. A geothermal plant in Puna released toxic hydrogen sulfide gases upon losing its power sources, prompting officials to urge an exodus of the immediate area, although a number of nearby residents reported health impacts. A water treatment plant in Kula on Maui also shut down due to power failure, prompting the conservation of water supplies in that area. Iselle's winds also damaged about 1,000 coffee trees and over 2,000 macadamia trees. Damage was heaviest to the papaya crop, with about 60% of the statewide crop destroyed, accounting for $55 million in losses (2014 USD). Other crops, including coffee, macadamia nuts, and flowers, were also damaged, Only one known death took place as a direct result of the storm – a 19-year-old woman who was swept away by flood waters while hiking in a closed state park. Over 250 property owners reported damage, with at least 11 houses destroyed, and 28 with major damage. Total monetary losses in the State of Hawaii range between $148 million and $325 million. and the primary election occurred as scheduled. However, the storm damaged roads leading to two polling stations on the Big Island, prompting officials to decide the election by absentee ballot in those areas. After a close campaign between incumbent Senator Brian Schatz and Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa, the senate primary, held on the same day as the gubernatorial primary, was too close to call after Schatz led by only 1,635 votes. As a result, the election hinged on the two closed polling stations, where more than 8,000 people had the option to vote by mail. This was later changed to an in-person vote for August 15, despite a challenge from the Hanabusa campaign with regards to storm damage, and Schatz ultimately won. The Hawaii American Civil Liberties Union later sued the state over how they handled the election. ==Aftermath and records==
Aftermath and records
After the storm, Hawaiian Electric Industries worked to restore power across the Big Island, aided by trucks removing trees and debris from roads. By August 20, 99% of customers had their power restored, leaving 1,100 residents by 12 days after the storm. However, it took until September 11, or about five weeks after the storm, for all power to be restored. Post-storm surveys indicated that the damage from Iselle was mostly related to trees that were not native to the island, which weakened and snapped under the high winds. Residents across Hawaii donated over $80,000 after the storm to assist victims, organized through the Hawaii Island United Way. Local charities distributed of food to over 3,000 families. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) completed a disaster survey of houses on August 19, a first step toward a federal disaster declaration. Due to the damage, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard remarked, "I'm urging FEMA, Hawaii County, the governor and President Obama to expedite the process of declaring Iselle's devastation a natural disaster so that the people of Puna can receive immediate help." On August 25, Governor Abercrombie formally requested for federal assistance, after the state depleted its disaster fund, However, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack declared an agriculture disaster, prompting the Small Business Administration to allow federal disaster loans to small businesses. The FEMA decision was reversed on September 12, when the federal government approved aid for rebuilding public buildings, as well as future disaster mitigation. When Iselle made landfall on the Big Island with winds of 60 mph (95 km/h), it became the strongest tropical cyclone on record to hit the island, and one of only three storms to hit the island at tropical storm intensity or higher, along with Tropical Storm Seven in 1958, and Tropical Storm Darby in 2016. If Iselle had made landfall as a hurricane, it would have been the first hurricane to ever hit the Big Island. With estimated damage cost of $148–325 million (2014 USD), Iselle became the third-costliest tropical cyclone to ever hit the U.S. state of Hawaii, even after accounting for inflation. The only tropical cyclones to cause more damage to the islands were Iwa in 1982, and Iniki in 1992. In addition, Iselle was the third-strongest tropical cyclone to ever make landfall on the main Hawaiian islands after hurricanes Dot and Iniki. ==See also==
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