Hawaii Declares Emergency as Powerful Hurricane Lowell Heads Toward Islands With 250 km/h Winds

Hawaii has declared a statewide emergency as Hurricane Lowell approaches the islands, bringing another serious threat during a particularly active stretch of weather. Lowell reached Category 5 strength south of Hawaii on Friday before weakening to a Category 4 storm, with winds reaching 250 km/h early Saturday.

The storm was more than 960 kilometers south of Hawaii and moving west, but forecasters expected it to turn sharply north over the weekend. Current projections placed its center about 260 kilometers west of Niihau and 320 kilometers west of Kauai from Monday evening into Tuesday morning.

That track remained highly uncertain. A shift east could bring much more severe consequences, including a more direct hit from a major hurricane. Large waves, dangerous ocean currents and coastal flooding were already expected, particularly on Hawaii’s western islands. Computer models ranged from a destructive strike on Kauai or Oahu to a passage hundreds of kilometers farther west.

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We are still recovering from Lala, and we will not wait for the next storm to approach before we begin preparing.

Governor Josh Green declared the emergency to allow the state to mobilize additional resources and activate National Guard personnel. Kauai officials were clearing drainage systems, preparing equipment for flood-prone areas and closing some state parks to camping. Residents were advised to prepare at least 14 days of supplies.

Hawaii had already faced two tropical systems in August. Hurricane Lala brought heavy rain and serious flooding to the Big Island, while Tropical Storm Moke passed later in the month with considerably weaker effects. Forecasters also noted that Lowell’s projected path resembled that of Hurricane Iniki, which struck Kauai as a Category 4 storm in 1992. “We hope it passes us by, but if it does what Iniki did in 1992, or even something” Green said, in a quotation that was cut off in the supplied report.

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We hope it passes us by, but if it does what Iniki did in 1992, or even something