Episode 2338
Hurricane Walaka
Fri, 2023-Sep-29 00:46 UTC
Length - 3:27
Direct Link
Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of the featured Wikipedia article every day.
The featured article for Friday, 29 September 2023 is Hurricane Walaka.
Hurricane Walaka was a Category 5 hurricane that brought high surf and a powerful storm surge to the Hawaiian Islands. Walaka was the nineteenth named storm, twelfth hurricane, eighth major hurricane, and second Category 5 hurricane of the 2018 Pacific hurricane season. The tropical cyclone originated from an area of low pressure that formed around 1,600 mi (2,600 km) south-southeast of Hawaii on September 24. The system tracked westward and moved into the Central Pacific Basin about a day later. The disturbance continued westward over the next few days, organizing into a tropical depression on September 29. Later that day, the system strengthened into a tropical storm, receiving the name Walaka. The storm then rapidly intensified, becoming a hurricane on September 30 and a major hurricane by October 1. The cyclone took on a more northward track under the influence of a low-pressure system located to the north. Walaka peaked as a Category 5 hurricane, with winds of 160 mph (260 km/h) and a pressure of 921 mbar (27.20 inHg), early on October 2. An eyewall replacement cycle caused the hurricane to weaken, though it remained a major hurricane for the next couple of days. Afterward, less favorable conditions caused a steady weakening of the hurricane, and Walaka became extratropical on October 6, well to the north of the Hawaiian Islands. The storm's remnants accelerated northeastward, before dissipating on October 7.
Although the hurricane did not impact any major landmasses, it passed very close to the unpopulated Johnston Atoll as a strong Category 4 hurricane, where a hurricane warning was issued in advance of the storm. Four scientists there intended to ride out the storm on the island, but were evacuated before the storm hit. Walaka neared the far Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, but weakened considerably as it did so. East Island in the French Frigate Shoals suffered a direct hit and was completely destroyed. The storm caused significant damage to the nesting grounds for multiple endangered species; coral reefs in the region suffered considerable damage, displacing the local fish population. Several dozen people had to be rescued off the southern shore of Oahu as the storm brought high surf to the main Hawaiian Islands.
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:46 UTC on Friday, 29 September 2023.
For the full current version of the article, see Hurricane Walaka on Wikipedia.
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