Just two named storms this hurricane season

HONOLULU — The 2020 hurricane season featured two tropical cyclones in the Central Pacific Hurricane Center area of responsibility, which is below the seasonal average. Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

The Central Pacific basin extends from 140°W to the International Date Line north of the equator. Four to five tropical cyclones occur during an average year.

Tropical Depression Boris was the first tropical cyclone of the season in the Central Pacific, moving into the basin from the east on June 27 and weakening to a remnant low on June 28. Boris was only the second tropical cyclone to occur during June in the Central Pacific since 1950, and the first since Tropical Storm Barbara in 2001.

Hurricane Douglas entered the basin on July 24 as a category 4 major hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Douglas quickly and steadily tracked to the west-northwest toward Hawai‘i and gradually weakened, eventually passing within 30 miles north of the state on July 26 as a category 1 hurricane.

Douglas weakened to a remnant low on July 29, shortly before crossing the International Date Line into the western Pacific basin.

Hurricane Douglas prompted hurricane warnings for Maui County, O‘ahu and Kaua‘i County, and a tropical-storm warning for Hawai‘i County.

Douglas passed just north of the state, keeping the most-damaging wind and rain impacts away from land. Swells from Douglas brought high surf across east-facing shores beginning July 25. Debris from high surf closed Kamehameha Highway near Ka‘a‘awa in windward O‘ahu for a time on the afternoon of July 26. Heavy rain occurred over portions of the state on July 26, south of Douglas’s track, with no significant property damage or injuries reported.