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On This Day in 1986: Hurricane Estelle Passes Near Hawaiian Islands
July 20, 2022 at 06:45 PM EDT
By WeatherBug's Richard Romkee
Though hurricanes rarely impact Hawaii directly, 1986’s hurricane Estelle proved that even a near miss can have significant consequences.
Hurricane Estelle had humble beginnings, starting as a tropical depression about 800 miles west of the Mexican coastline during the morning hours of July 16, 1986. The system quickly strengthened in a healthy environment, becoming Tropical Storm Estelle during the evening of July 16 and Hurricane Estelle on the morning of July 17.
This rapid strengthening did not relent, and by the evening of July 19 Estelle had become a major category 3 hurricane on the Saffir Simpson scale with maximum sustained winds of 111 mph. By July 20, Estelle reached its peak at category 4 status, with maximum sustained winds of 135 mph, and it help this intensity for several days as it moved to the west-northwest at 25 mph.
As Estelle streaked westward, concerns increased about a potential direct hit on the state of Hawaii. In response, a hurricane watch was issued for the island chain on July 20, though it was dropped on July 24 as the storm weakened and it became more obvious that a direct hit wouldn’t happen.
The lack of a direct hit, however, did not spare the Hawaiian Islands from impacts. Heavy rainfall was observed from passing rain showers on the outskirts of Estelle, but these did not cause problems. Strong winds circulating around the center of Estelle and a spring tide helped create heavy surf; the main source of damage from the system. In advance of the worst impacts, about 200 residents evacuated from their beachfront homes while some decided to stay.
The strong waves reached the island chain on July 22, when most, if not all, of the damage was done. Five homes were completely destroyed by waves ranging from 15 to 20 feet high, with a further 5 homes sustaining severe damage and another 12 receiving minor damage. As Estelle moved west, it brought high surf to Oahu where two swimmers tragically drowned. A road in Maui was also washed away by the large waves.
Estelle weakened into a tropical storm on July 23, completely dissipating on July 27 thanks to increasing upper-level winds and cooler water. Moisture from the remnants of Estelle was pulled northwest towards the Hawaiian Islands resulting in days of thunderstorms which produced up to 5 inches of rainfall, but no additional impacts were experienced before the storms cleared on July 29.
Source: NOAA, wikipedia.org
Story image: Hurricane Estelle on July 20 at approximately 2338 UTC. This image was produced from data from NOAA-9, provided by NOAA. (NOAA / Satellite and Information Service)
Hurricane Estelle had humble beginnings, starting as a tropical depression about 800 miles west of the Mexican coastline during the morning hours of July 16, 1986. The system quickly strengthened in a healthy environment, becoming Tropical Storm Estelle during the evening of July 16 and Hurricane Estelle on the morning of July 17.
This rapid strengthening did not relent, and by the evening of July 19 Estelle had become a major category 3 hurricane on the Saffir Simpson scale with maximum sustained winds of 111 mph. By July 20, Estelle reached its peak at category 4 status, with maximum sustained winds of 135 mph, and it help this intensity for several days as it moved to the west-northwest at 25 mph.
As Estelle streaked westward, concerns increased about a potential direct hit on the state of Hawaii. In response, a hurricane watch was issued for the island chain on July 20, though it was dropped on July 24 as the storm weakened and it became more obvious that a direct hit wouldn’t happen.
The lack of a direct hit, however, did not spare the Hawaiian Islands from impacts. Heavy rainfall was observed from passing rain showers on the outskirts of Estelle, but these did not cause problems. Strong winds circulating around the center of Estelle and a spring tide helped create heavy surf; the main source of damage from the system. In advance of the worst impacts, about 200 residents evacuated from their beachfront homes while some decided to stay.
The strong waves reached the island chain on July 22, when most, if not all, of the damage was done. Five homes were completely destroyed by waves ranging from 15 to 20 feet high, with a further 5 homes sustaining severe damage and another 12 receiving minor damage. As Estelle moved west, it brought high surf to Oahu where two swimmers tragically drowned. A road in Maui was also washed away by the large waves.
Estelle weakened into a tropical storm on July 23, completely dissipating on July 27 thanks to increasing upper-level winds and cooler water. Moisture from the remnants of Estelle was pulled northwest towards the Hawaiian Islands resulting in days of thunderstorms which produced up to 5 inches of rainfall, but no additional impacts were experienced before the storms cleared on July 29.
Source: NOAA, wikipedia.org
Story image: Hurricane Estelle on July 20 at approximately 2338 UTC. This image was produced from data from NOAA-9, provided by NOAA. (NOAA / Satellite and Information Service)