2018 Eastern Pacific hurricane season
Hurricane Walaka 2018
Walaka passed through remote central Pacific waters but caused severe ecological damage in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Its surf and surge washed away East Island in the French Frigate Shoals.
Drag to pan. Pinch or Ctrl/⌘ + scroll to zoom. Keyboard: plus or minus to zoom, arrow keys to pan, and 0 to show the full track.
161 mph
Oct 2, 2018 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Rapid growth in the central Pacific
Walaka developed from a disturbance south of Hawaii and became a named storm on September 29. It strengthened rapidly, becoming a hurricane the next day. Archived sustained winds reached 140 knots at the start of October 2, with a central pressure of 921 millibars.
The hurricane turned north and passed close to Johnston Atoll while still powerful. Four scientists were evacuated from the otherwise unpopulated atoll ahead of the approach. An eyewall replacement cycle began weakening Walaka, followed by increasingly unfavorable conditions farther north.
Damage to islands and reefs
Walaka's passage destroyed East Island in the French Frigate Shoals, damaging nesting habitat used by endangered species. Coral reefs also suffered substantial damage, displacing fish populations. High surf reached the main Hawaiian Islands, where several dozen people required rescue off Oahu's southern shore.
The storm became extratropical north of Hawaii on October 6, and its remnants dissipated the following day.
Further reading
NOAA IBTrACS v04r01 historical track archive
Official report (PDF) — National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report.
QUICK ANSWERS
Walaka in brief
What was Hurricane Walaka's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Oct 2, 2018, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Hurricane Walaka?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Oct 2, 2018, 12:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Hurricane Walaka's lowest pressure?
921 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Oct 2, 2018, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Hurricane Walaka occur?
The archived track runs from Sep 26, 2018, 06:00 AM UTC to Oct 7, 2018, 12:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Sep 29, 2018, 12:00 PM UTC to Oct 6, 2018, 09:00 AM UTC.
Where did Hurricane Walaka form?
In the Eastern Pacific basin, in the 2018 season. Its first archived position is 10.7°N, 140.1°W on Sep 26, 2018, 06:00 AM UTC.
Did Hurricane Walaka make landfall?
No archived position places Hurricane Walaka's center over land, but positions are six-hourly and a brief landfall can fall between them.
METHODOLOGY
Data sources and limitations
The map and summary are generated from NOAA's IBTrACS v04r01 archive. Wind and category use US-agency records; minimum pressure is calculated during the tropical stage, with the archive's pressure source retained. Category 5 refers to the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale; local agencies may use different classifications. Coastlines use Natural Earth's 1:10m land data.
Track distance adds great-circle distances between consecutive observations, excluding gaps over 12 hours. This track has no gaps over 12 hours. The line shows the storm's center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Converted wind speeds are rounded to the nearest whole unit.
Archive retrieved
NOAA IBTrACS archive and Field documentation
Sources & methodology