Hurricane Lowell sends dangerous swell toward Hawaii

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hurricane Lowell is sending a powerful swell toward Hawaiʻi, drawing surfers and spectators to the water while raising concerns about dangerous ocean conditions along south- and west-facing shores.

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Meteorologists say the storm has been churning up the seas for several days, and conditions could become increasingly dangerous as Lowell approaches and winds shift.

“It comes up real fast and it goes down real fast in direction,” said Ken Suiso, a former lifeguard. “So hurricane swells are very treacherous if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

Suiso said hurricane swells can change dramatically in a short period of time.

“It can be very unpredictable,” he said. “The waves went from 2 feet to 15 feet within a couple hours. Current actually switched directions.”

Ian Morrison, a meteorologist with NOAA, said the swell generated by Lowell is already reaching the islands and is expected to build.

“So it’s been churning up those seas for three to five days already,” Morrison said. “So that swell is coming into the islands now and it’s just going to increase further and further.”

Morrison said Lowell’s winds are expected to shift more out of the southeast as the storm turns, creating rougher ocean conditions and increasing wave heights.

“With the added winds on that from a southeast direction, it’s going to be really messy and the size of the waves are going to increase as well,” Morrison said. “So that’s going to create a pretty dangerous situation.”

On Oʻahu, those conditions could push waves into areas that typically see less exposure, including Waikiki and other south-facing beaches.

“So like in the Waikīkī area, any of those other southern facing spots, you’re going to see waves really getting to areas where they don’t normally get to,” Morrison said.

The impacts extend beyond Oʻahu. Morrison said some beach parks on the Kona side of Hawaii Island have already closed because of high surf and wave run-up, with waves reaching 12 to 15 feet near Magic Sands.

Morrison said the greatest impacts are expected to include heavy rainfall, high surf and strong winds, particularly along southern and western shores.

“The impacts are the heavy rainfall, the high surf warning level surf,” Morrison said. “So very dangerous along southern and western sides of the island as Lowell comes up from the south.”

Surfing professionals are urging people to assess conditions before entering the water and to ask locals for advice if they are unfamiliar with the area.

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“If you think that it’s big, it is big,” said Edward Fiel, an instructor with Island Fiel Surf. “And if you’re not sure, if you just heard about it, it’s good to ask locals.”

Fiel also urged people to watch the ocean before going into the water, particularly at areas without lifeguards.

“Watch the ocean for a while,” Fiel said. “Over this particular spot, there’s not that many lifeguards. There’s actually no lifeguards at this spot. So yeah, be safe out there.”

Residents are also preparing for potential impacts from the storm.

Jennifer Dalgamouni, a Mānoa Valley resident, said her household has stocked up on food and supplies after several storm threats this year.

“We’ve had so many hurricane warnings this year,” Dalgamouni said. “We already have a lot of canned food, got a little bit more canned food, dried food. We have pasta and sauces, making sure we have propane so we could cook on the BBQ if we need to.”

Dalgamouni said she is particularly concerned about rain and potential flooding in Manoa Valley.

Jennifer Leandro, a Kaimukī resident, said her family has also been preparing for storms.

“We’ve been preparing since the other storms were rolling in,” Leandro said. “So nothing we’re doing extra at this time because we’ve been prepared.”

Suiso said his own experience with past hurricanes has reinforced the need to prepare for coastal impacts.

He recalled Hurricane Eva, which he said caused significant damage on the west side of Oʻahu, including destroying his family’s home near Makaha Point.

“I was out there yesterday prepping and doing all that, elevating things that were vulnerable and picking mangoes that are going to end on the ground,” Suiso said.

Suiso said residents near the coast should also consider the potential for storm surge and impacts to coastal roads.

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A high surf warning remains in effect through Sunday afternoon.