Overview
- Lowell exploded from a weak tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in roughly 24–36 hours, reaching peak intensity on Sept. 2 before easing to Category 4 as it sits several hundred miles south of Hilo.
- Forecast guidance shows a sharp northward turn this weekend that could put the storm on a path near or over the western Hawaiian Islands, but the exact timing and proximity remain unusually uncertain.
- Large swells from Lowell are already moving north and are causing life‑threatening surf and rip currents along Hawaiian shores, prompting coastal warnings and urging people to avoid ocean activities.
- Hawaii officials have activated emergency measures and the state has mobilized resources while NOAA is flying multiple reconnaissance missions, including drones, to gather data to improve track and intensity forecasts.
- Scientists link the active Pacific pattern to a very strong El Niño and record warm sea surface temperatures, which fuel rapid intensification and raise the baseline risk for Hawaii after recent storms this season.