The National Hurricane Center warned of potential tornadoes as the storm’s center tracked just west of Niihau.
State and county leadership moved swiftly ahead of the impact. Hawaii Governor Josh Green closed schools and government offices on the westernmost islands of Kauai and Niihau and on Oahu for Tuesday as Hurricane Lowell was expected to pass nearby. The closures, which include community colleges and state and county offices, were put into effect for Oahu and Kauai County, which was under a hurricane warning issued by the National Hurricane Center. Kauai County includes the major islands of Kauai, which has a population of over 73,000, and Niihau, where there are fewer than 100 residents. A portion of the vast Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument was also included in the warning. The Hawaii State Department of Education announced that all public schools and offices on Oahu and in Kauai County would be closed Tuesday, September 8, because of anticipated impacts from Hurricane Lowell, and school-related activities, including athletics, extracurricular events and meetings, have also been canceled. The closures include all public schools on Kauai, Niihau High & Elementary School, all public schools on Oahu, and Department of Education offices on Oahu and in Kauai County. Emergency management officials emphasized that keeping residents off the roads was vital for allowing emergency crews to focus on protecting our communities during dangerous weather.
Hurricane Lowell Track and Intensity Near Kauai and Niihau
Hurricane Lowell weakened to a Category 2 hurricane as of 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, with the storm expected to pass near the western part of the main Hawaiian islands between Monday night and Tuesday morning. The strongest impacts will likely be felt between 6 p.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday local time. The latest forecast shifted the trajectory slightly to the East, meaning a greater likelihood of significant impacts for Kauai County, including the islands of Kauai and Niihau, though Lowell’s strength as it passes the islands trended slightly lower compared to 24 hours earlier. As of Monday night, the National Hurricane Center said Lowell was located about 135 miles southwest of Lihue, Kauai, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, moving north-northeast at 18 mph and forecast to pass near or just west of Niihau overnight into Tuesday while remaining a hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center placed Kauai County—incorporating Kauai and Niihau—under a hurricane warning, while Oahu, the state’s most populated island with close to 1 million residents, was under a tropical storm warning. The center of the storm was passing west of the islands and moving away, but tropical storm-force winds extended nearly 200 miles (320 kilometers). On Kauai, sustained winds measured just above 50 mph (80) at Lihue Airport, and some wind gusts reached 80 mph (130 kph), according to the hurricane center, though the force of the sustained winds decreased by early Tuesday as the storm was expected to weaken in the coming days.
Power Outages and Structural Damage Across Kauai and Oahu
Fierce wind gusts wreaked havoc on local electrical grids. Kaua’i is seeing the worst of Lowell’s impacts, with wind gusts over 80 mph on the eastern side of the island. The center of Hurricane Lowell is now over 100 miles northwest of Lihue, Kauai, and is moving away, but strong winds gusting over 40 mph are still occurring in some areas from Maui through Oahu and Kauai. So far, peak gusts of 80 mph or stronger have been measured in several locations on Kauai, including Waimea (85 mph) and Lihue (84 mph). An 80 mph gust was clocked near Kula on Maui’s interior, and gusts to 62 mph were reported in higher terrain of western Oahu. These winds knocked out power to 90% of customers on Kauai. High surf and coastal flooding affected some roads, prompting closures including a stretch of the Farrington Highway in western Oahu.
Flash Floods, Massive Rainfall Totals, and Rare Tornado Warnings
Beyond wind damage, torrential downpours created severe flood threats statewide. The hurricane will bring damaging winds, mudslides, possible tornadoes, dangerous rip currents and as much as 24 inches (about 60 centimeters) of rain to some areas on Kauai. Almost 18 inches of rain has fallen so far over the mountains of Kauai. The weather agency also warned late Monday of the possibility of several tornadoes
near Kauai and Niihau in the evening and overnight, with tornadoes also possible on other islands. Damaging winds and heavy rains from Hurricane Lowell were pelting Hawaii’s western islands in the overnight hours Tuesday, bringing the threat of floods, mudslides, and tornadoes.
Emergency Preparedness and Ongoing Recovery Challenges
The state’s infrastructure resilience faced severe tests.
In response to Lowell, Kauai County is most vulnerable, and officials stated they are not going to take chances with people’s safety, as Kauai officials urged residents and visitors to prepare for heavy rainfall and dangerous winds. While the core of Hurricane Lowell continues to track away into the Pacific, residual impacts are expected to taper off, leaving local authorities and utility crews to evaluate structural integrity and clear blocked routes across the affected islands.
