Hurricane Lowell, a powerful Category 3 storm, is closing in on Hawaii and is forecast to pass dangerously near the state’s western islands, bringing a growing threat of heavy rain, flash flooding and destructive surf. On Oahu, flooding has already been reported, while large, damaging waves continue to batter south-facing shores across the islands.
A Hurricane Warning was put in place for Kauaʻi County late Sunday, local Hawaii time.
The warning area also includes portions of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the remote chain of small islands and atolls that stretches northwest of Hawaii’s main populated islands.
As of the latest update from the National Hurricane Center, Lowell remained a major hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph. The storm was located about 455 miles southwest of Līhuʻe and was tracking north-northeast at 10 mph.
Forecasters say Lowell is likely to spread additional rounds of heavy rainfall, flash flooding, strong wind gusts and dangerous surf across the state, with its closest approach expected from late Monday into early Tuesday.
In advance of the hurricane’s impacts, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green issued a state of emergency last Thursday to help the islands prepare for the storm.
By Sunday night, rain from Lowell’s outer bands was sweeping across Kauaʻi and Oahu.
Earlier Sunday afternoon, rainfall tied to Hurricane Lowell had already caused flash flooding along Kamehameha Highway north of Waikāne on Oahu.
Hurricane Lowell peaked as a Category 5 storm last Wednesday with winds up to 160 mph, before weakening to a Category 3, then a Category 4, storm by Thursday and Friday, respectively.
Looking ahead as forecasters track the path of Lowell, the consensus amongst computer models predicts the hurricane will pass to the west of Hawaii and avoid a direct hit to the state.
“Lowell is currently steered by an upper-level trough/low north of the Hawaiian Chain, which is pulling Lowell sharply northward,” the FOX Forecast Center said. “Current tracks place the center around 100 to 150 miles West/Southwest of Kauaʻi during its closest pass.”
Despite predictions that the storm will pass offshore, Lowell’s large tropical-storm wind field means the Western Hawaiian Islands will still experience significant impacts.
The timing and early impacts for Oahu will kick off Monday afternoon, when tropical-force wind gusts of up to 30 to 40 mph will lash Oahu, along with heavy rainfall.
As the storm tracks closer to the state, rough surf and waves as high as 20 feet will be possible along the south and west-facing coastal areas of Kauai and Oahu, helping fuel a coastal flood threat.
By Tuesday, Lowell will begin to accelerate north before weakening, as tropical-storm-force winds will also decrease by the evening.
As these powerful winds continue to decrease, the rough surf crashing along the Hawaiian Islands will also lessen.
Despite this, a flood threat will still exist as around 5 to 8 inches of rain will have fallen across portions of the state, with some localized amounts closer to a foot.
