Hurricane Lowell continues to impact parts of Hawaii with flooding rain, surge, huge waves, and strong winds as the center moves away from the island chain. The center of the storm is over 100 miles northwest of Lihue, Kauai, and is moving away, but strong winds gusting over 40 mph are still occurring in areas from Maui through Oahu and Kauai.
Hurricane Lowell Hammers Hawaii With Powerful Winds and Heavy Rain
Peak gusts of 80 mph or stronger have been measured in several locations on Kauai, including Waimea at 85 mph and Lihue at 84 mph. An 80 mph gust was clocked near Kula on Maui’s interior, and gusts reaching 62 mph were reported in the higher terrain of western Oahu. These winds knocked out power to 90% of customers on Kauai. High surf and coastal flooding also prompted road closures, including a stretch of Farrington Highway in western Oahu.
State Closures and Warnings as the Storm Passes
Ahead of the storm’s closest approach, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green closed government offices and public schools on the westernmost islands of Kauai and Niihau and on Oahu for Tuesday (NBC News). The closures included community colleges as well as state and county offices.
Closing offices, schools and courts will help keep people off the roads during dangerous conditions and allow emergency crews to focus on protecting our communities,
Gov. Green said in a news release. I urge everyone in Kaua’i County to remain indoors, avoid unnecessary travel and follow all official emergency instructions.
Hurricane warnings remained in effect for Kauai County, which includes Kauai and Niihau, along with a portion of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (NBC News). A tropical storm warning remained in place for Oahu. Tropical storm-force gusts, especially over and downwind of higher terrain, were expected to last into Tuesday afternoon before subsiding, alongside coastal flooding and battering waves in the western islands through Wednesday.
Significant Rains and Historical Storm Context
Almost 18 inches of rain has fallen over the mountains of Kauai, with general 2 to 5-inch totals over lower elevations. Up to 8 inches of rain fell over Oahu’s higher terrain north of Honolulu, and up to 9 inches was recorded over Maui’s mountains. Lowell also prompted Hawaii’s first known tornado watch for Kauai through early Tuesday morning.
Lowell is the third storm to affect parts of Hawaii during this El Niño-fueled Pacific hurricane season, following Lala and Moke, which both brushed the islands within about a week in August, while Fausto passed north of the islands and fizzled in late July. Lowell rapidly intensified from a tropical storm into a Category 5 hurricane between September 1 and September 2, maintaining major hurricane status until weakening below that threshold on Monday morning. The storm is expected to curl westward and continue moving farther away into the central Pacific as a tropical storm according to the National Hurricane Center.
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