Steven Spielberg was filming Jurassic Park in Hawaii when Hurricane Iniki hit
On this day in weather history, Hurricane Iniki made landfall on Hawaii.
This Day In Weather History is a daily podcast by Chris Mei from The Weather Network, featuring stories about people, communities and events and how weather impacted them.
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On Saturday, Sept. 5, 1992, Hurricane Iniki formed in the Pacific Ocean. Iniki means "strong and piercing wind" in Hawaiian. The storm impacted areas in Hawaii, U.S., mostly the island of Kauaʻi.
The storm formed on Sep. 5, 1992, and strengthened into a hurricane on Sep. 9. On Sep. 10, the storm grew into a Category 3 hurricane. The next day, the storm strengthened into a Category 4 as it made landfall over Kaua'i.
"Iniki (left) as a newly formed tropical storm next to Hurricane Orlene, on Sept. 8." Courtesy of Wikipedia
Iniki swept across the island and 40 minutes later, re-entered the Pacific Ocean. On Sep. 13, the storm weakened into a tropical storm and even further into an extratropical cyclone.
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center didn't issue tropical cyclone warnings 24 hours before the storm making landfall. Iniki destroyed over 1,400 houses and intensely damaged over 5,000.
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The hurricane caused six deaths and approximately US$3.1 billion (1992) in damage. Iniki is the costliest natural disaster in Hawaiian history.
Steven Spielberg was prepping for the final day of shooting Jurassic Park on location in Kauaʻi when the hurricane hit. Spielberg and the movie's crew of 130 safely stayed in a hotel while the hurricane passed. "Every single structure was in shambles; roofs and walls were torn away; telephone poles and trees were down as far as the eye could see," said Spielberg.
Spielberg included footage of Iniki's aftermath in the completed film. When the storm was over, the cast and crew of Jurassic Park received "I Survived Hurricane Iniki" shirts.
To learn more about Hurricane Iniki, listen to today's episode of "This Day In Weather History."
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