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Hurricane Iwa

Hurricane Iwa, taken from the Hawaiian language name for the frigatebird, was at the time the costliest hurricane to affect the state of Hawaii. Iwa was the twenty-third tropical storm and the twelfth and final hurricane of the 1982 Pacific hurricane season. It developed from an active trough of low pressure near the equator on November 19. The storm moved erratically northward until becoming a hurricane on November 23, when it began accelerating to the northeast in response to strong upper-level flow from the north. Iwa passed within 25 miles of the island of Kauaʻi with peak winds of 90 mph (140 km/h) on November 23, and the next day it became extratropical to the northeast of the state.

Meteorological history
A very active trough of low pressure persisted along the equator in the middle of November, with westerly surface winds and windspread convection located along the trough from 140° W to 140° E. An organized circulation developed near Palmyra Atoll on November 18, and steadily developed as it drifted westward. Though very late in the season, warm temperatures to the south of the Hawaiian Islands due to the strongest El Niño in many years allowed the disturbance to develop into Tropical Storm Iwa on November 19 while located about southwest of the southernmost point in Hawaii. The storm tracked slowly northward after forming and initially remained a weak tropical storm. After turning to the northeast, Iwa began slowly intensifying, and on November 23 after turning to the north-northwest Iwa strengthened into a hurricane while located southwest of the southern tip of Hawaii. Shortly after becoming a hurricane, Iwa turned and accelerated to the northeast in response to strong upper level flow to its north. The hurricane possessed sufficient moisture, instability, and upper divergence for continued intensification, and Iwa reached peak winds of late on November 23 while located southwest of Waimea on the island of Kauai. Its forward speed increased to 30 to 40 mph, and Iwa passed just north of the island of Kauai on November 23 (November 24 in UTC). The right semicircle of the storm extended across Kauai and Oahu, with gusts from . After passing Hawaii, the convection of Iwa rapidly deteriorated as it gradually lost tropical characteristics. Late on November 24, the hurricane degenerated into a tropical storm, and on November 25 Iwa became an extratropical cyclone while located about northeast of Hawaii. == Impact ==
Impact
Hurricane Iwa produced estimated gusts reaching across Kauai and Oahu. The acceleration of the hurricane concentrated the energy of its swells, resulting in high waves and storm surge across the Hawaiian Islands, though primarily near the path of the center. It is estimated the storm surge reached eight feet (two meters) on the south coast of Kauai. The heaviest rainfall reported from the island chain was from the Intake Wainiha 1086 site, where was measured. Possible tornadoes were reported in association with a rain squall in Oahu. and waves on southern Kauai surpassed in height. During the worst of the storm, 5,800 people were evacuated from shoreline areas of Kauai to temporary shelters. Strong waves sank or grounded several small vessels on the southwestern coast of Kauai, Highway 56 on the east side of the island was obstructed by fallen telephone poles, forcing residents to drive on the unpaved, red dirt cane roads usually reserved for hauling sugar cane from the fields. Rising waters washed out multiple roads near the coastline. The strong winds destroyed nearly all papaya and banyan trees on the island. The hurricane destroyed or greatly damaged 1,907 homes on the island and caused minor damage to 2,983 others, leaving one-eighth of the island's homes unlivable. on November 24 Rough seas killed a person on the USS Goldsborough in Pearl Harbor when the seaman hit a stanchion, Rough waves destroyed four and damaged two deep-water communication cables between Oahu and Kauai. Additionally, 418 buildings, including 30 businesses, were destroyed on Oahu. The last female Kauaʻi ʻōʻō (Moho braccatus) was lost in the storm. Her mate was recorded singing in solitary until he went silent and presumably died in 1987, marking the extinction of their species. ==Aftermath==
Aftermath
Three days after Hurricane Iwa passed the state, Governor George Ariyoshi declared the islands of Kauai and Niihau as disaster areas and began filing papers for a federal disaster declaration. On November 28, five days after the hurricane struck, President Ronald Reagan declared the islands of Kauai, Niihau, and Oahu as a disaster area. The declaration allocated federal funds to aid the affected citizens. ==Retirement==
Retirement
In 1983, the World Meteorological Organization retired the name Iwa from the Central Pacific lists of tropical cyclone names. It was initially replaced with Io, which was changed to Iona in 2007. Iwa was the first name retired in the basin following implementation of the modern system of Central Pacific tropical storm naming. ==See also==
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