How come the ocean around Hawaii was unusually warm during the hurricane event of 1992?
May 7, 2011 by admin
Filed under Travel Tips
Sep 11, 1992, Hurricane Iniki slammed into Kauai. Does it have to do with the ridge that usually protect Hawaii from hurricanes?
Although there was a strong El Nino event going on and may have contributed to the warmer waters it was the subtropical ridge, which typically keeps hurricanes well away from the Hawaiian Islands, weakening due to an approaching upper level-trough that allowed Iniki to turn to the northwest.
This is from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center report of the 1992 season at;
http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/summaries/1992.php