ISBN: | 978-5-5106-0787-1 |
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Hurricane Hernan was the ninth tropical depression, eighth named storm, fifth hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 2008 Pacific hurricane season. Hernan developed out of a tropical wave that formed off the east coast of Africa on July 24. Over the next week, the wave traversed the Atlantic without development and entered the Eastern Pacific basin on August 2. The wave became better organized over the next several days and was declared Tropical Depression Nine-E on August 6. The depression quickly became Tropical Storm Hernan later that day. Hernan steadily intensified over the next two days and was upgraded to a hurricane on the morning of August 8. Hernan continued to intensify and became the first major hurricane—a storm with winds of 111 mph (178 km/h) or higher—of the season on August 9. After reaching major hurricane status, Hernan steadily weakened to a minimal hurricane. The weakening continued, and Hernan was further downgraded to a tropical storm on August 11. As Hernan moved over cold waters, the convection associated with the storm dissipated, leaving only a swirl of clouds. By the morning of August 12, almost all of the convection associated with Hernan had dissipated and the system was declared a remnant low-pressure area despite retaining tropical storm-force winds. The low moved towards the west-southwest over the next several days before dissipating 460 mi (740 km) southeast of the Island of Hawaii. The remnants of the hurricane caused light rain to Hawaii.