The Category 4 storm could be the first hurricane to hit Hawaii since 1992
+ READ ARTICLEAs Hurricane Lane hurtles toward Hawaii, images captured from space show the full extent of the massive storm.
Images captured by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show the Category 4 storm swirling towards Hawaii with sustained winds around 155 mph that could cause catastrophic damage. Hurricane Lane was briefly upgraded to a Category 5 storm Tuesday night into Wednesday morning when winds topped 160 mph — just hours before its expected landfall in Hawaii.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige issued an emergency proclamation and urged residents to heed evacuation notices and make emergency preparations ahead of Hurricane Lane’s landfall.
As of late Tuesday night, tropical-storm-force winds were expected to reach some of the Hawaiian islands by Wednesday afternoon local time, according to the National Weather Service’s (NWS) Honolulu bureau. Winds are likely to persist until at least Thursday night or Friday morning, according to the NWS.