Powerful Hurricane Lowell makes a rare direct hit on Hawaii as conditions worsen, power outages skyrocket
Powerful Category 2 Hurricane Lowell made a rare direct hit on Hawaii's western islands Monday night Hawaii time, with rain and wind continuing to intensify as state officials report thousands of power outages on both Kaua'i and Oahu, the state's most populous island.
THE TAKEAWAY
HONOLULU — Powerful Category 2 Hurricane Lowell made a rare direct hit on Hawaii's western islands Monday night Hawaii time, with rain and wind continuing to intensify as state officials report thousands of power outages on both Kaua'i and Oahu, the state's most populous island.
While the storm's center is not expected to make landfall, the definition of a direct hit is when a hurricane passes within a distance that is up to twice the length between the center of the storm and the maximum winds, which in Lowell's case is 60 miles.
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Lowell's center is currently passing just west of Ni'ihau as a powerful Category 2 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph. It's moving north-northeast at 18 mph, according to the NHC.
More than 60,000 customers are without power on Kaua'i and Oahu combined, according to poweroutage.us
TRACK HURRICANE LOWELL: PATH, FORECAST CONE, SPAGHETTI MODELS, WIND AND MORE
Kaua'i is seeing the worst of Lowell's impacts, with wind gusts over 80 mph on the eastern side of the island.
FOX Weather Correspondent Katie Byrne, reported strong wind gusts, flash flooding and several feet of storm surge in Kōloa on Kaua'i late Monday night.
Heavy rain from Hurricane Lowell had already triggered flash flooding on both Kaua'i and Oahu earlier in the day, and damaging surf is pounding Hawaii's southern shores.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green declared a state of emergency last Thursday in preparation for the storm.
Sustained winds between 65 and 85 mph have been recorded on Ni'ihau.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a rare Tornado Watch in parts of Hawaii through 4 a.m. Officials said this is the first Tornado Watch issued by NWS Honolulu since at least 2008.
LATEST FROM FOX WEATHER HURRICANE SPECIALIST BRYAN NORCROSS
Lowell's track shifted farther east early Monday morning Hawaii time, closer to the western islands Ni'ihau and Kaua'i, prompting the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to issue a Tropical Storm Warning for Oahu.
A Hurricane Warning was issued for Kauaʻi County late Sunday as well as parts of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, a chain of smaller islands northwest of Hawaii's populated islands.
A Flash Flood Warning was issued for the northern side of Kaua'i on Monday night.
Byrne said people on Kaua'i were told by government officials to have at least three days' worth of food and supplies. Officials also asked people in low-lying areas to have an evacuation plan in place.
Some people across the state, including those Byrne interviewed on the Big Island, boarded up their homes as a precaution.
Rain associated with Lowell had already triggered flash flooding along the Kamehameha Highway north of Waikane in Oahu on Sunday afternoon.
The worst conditions of the storm are expected within the next several hours before conditions rapidly improve as Lowell quickly begins to pull away, the FOX Forecast Center said.
Lowell was initially expected to pass farther west of Hawaii last week, but the storm's track continued to shift eastward through Monday morning.
As the storm makes its closest pass, Tropical Storm conditions are expected on Kaua'i with sustained winds between 40-70 mph.
"Wind gusts on the western side of the island are likely up to 100 mph, while on the eastern side, the winds will be slightly less, with gusts up to 70 mph, the FOX Forecast Center said.
"Wind gusts over 100 mph are likely across the mountains."
Life-threatening surf and waves between 20 and 30 feet will be possible along Hawaii's south and west-facing shores.
"Expect ocean water surging and sweeping over beaches, coastal benches and roadways, creating the potential for significant damage to coastal properties and infrastructure, including roadways," NHC said.
Lowell is expected to dump up to 8 inches of rain on Kaua'i along the coast, with localized pockets of up to 2 feet possible at the highest elevations.
Between 8 and 12 inches of rain is expected across the Big Island, with pockets of up to 12 inches.
"On the Big Island of Hawaii, very heavy rain is forecast as well on the same slopes that were so damaged by Hurricane Lala," FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross said.
"Throughout the Hawaiian Islands, there will be pockets of heavy rain, especially on the windward slopes," he continued.
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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.
Lowell was the first Category 5 storm in the Central Pacific Basin since Walaka in October 2018.
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