Overview
- As of Sunday, Hawaii has declared a state of emergency and issued tropical storm watches for Kauai and Niihau as Lowell, a major hurricane, turns north and is forecast to pass just west of the western islands late Monday into Tuesday.
- Officials have mobilized the Hawaii National Guard, staged high‑water vehicles and set up refuge areas while counties opened shelters and prepositioned equipment and supplies.
- Forecasters say Lowell will bring heavy rain and coastal hazards with typical forecasts calling for 3 to 6 inches of rain on parts of Kauai and the Big Island and isolated totals up to about 10–12 inches, plus 1–3 feet of storm surge if the highest water coincides with high tide.
- Even with the center forecast offshore, dangerous surf and rip currents are already building and forecasters warn that an eastward shift on the order of roughly 100 miles could produce hurricane‑force winds and much worse surge for Kauai and nearby islands.
- The active central Pacific season is being fueled by a strong El Niño and unusually warm ocean waters, which heighten the risk of rapid intensification and compound threats from other storms while communities still recover from recent August storms.