 Hurricane Uleki at peak intensity southwest of the Hawaiian Islands on September 3 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 28, 1988 |
| Extratropical | September 16, 1988 |
| Dissipated | September 17, 1988 |
| Category 3 major hurricane | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 125 mph (205 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 957 mbar (hPa); 28.26 inHg |
| Very strong typhoon | |
| 10-minute sustained (JMA) | |
| Highest winds | 155 km/h (100 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 945 hPa (mbar); 27.91 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 2 total |
| Damage | None |
| Areas affected | |
Part of the 1988 Pacific hurricane and Pacific typhoon seasons | |
Hurricane Uleki, also referred as Typhoon Uleki, was a long-lived tropical cyclone in August–September 1988 that had minimal effects on land. Originating from a disturbance in the Intertropical Convergence Zone in late-August, Uleki was identified as a tropical depression well to the southeast of Hawaii on August 28. Steady organization ensued as it moved west, becoming a tropical storm on August 30 and a hurricane on August 31. Rapid intensification took place thereafter and the storm reached its peak intensity on September 2 as a Category 3 on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. hurricane hunters investigating the cyclone found peak winds of 125 mph (201 km/h) and a barometric pressure of 957 mbar (hPa; 28.26 inHg). Thereafter, Uleki stalled for two days to the southwest of Hawaii, resulting in heavy surf across the state. The dangerous swells killed two people on Oahu.
Unfavorable environmental conditions caused weakening of the hurricane by September 4 as it resumed a west-northwest course away from Hawaii. Conditions later became favorable and Uleki acquired winds of 105 mph (165 mph) on September 7, constituting its secondary peak. The hurricane crossed the International Date Line on September 8 and was reclassified as typhoon. Remaining well away from land, the cyclone steadily weakened to a tropical storm by September 12. Gradually turning north and later east, the degrading cyclone transitioned into an extratropical cyclone four days later and ultimately dissipated on September 17 near the International Date Line.