Hurricane Lowell turns north, Kauai County under tropical storm warning

News admin September 6, 2026 0 Comments

Hurricane Lowell turns north, Kauai County under tropical storm warning

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Major Hurricane Lowell is in the middle of its sharp turn toward the north on a track that should take it just west of Kauai and Niihau, which are now under a Tropical Storm Warning.

A tropical storm warning means tropical storm-force winds are expected somewhere within this area within the next 36 hours.

A Hurricane Watch has also been issued for the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

At 11 a.m. Sunday, Lowell’s maximum sustained winds decreased very slightly to 120 miles per hour. It remains a category 3 hurricane.

It was about 545 miles south-southwest of Lihue, or 565 miles southwest of Honolulu, and was moving to the north at 6 miles per hour.

Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 50 miles from the center, while tropical storm force winds extend up to 175 miles.

Lowell’s track expected to pass west of Niihau

Lowell is forecast to pass west of Kauai County late Monday into early Tuesday. The current forecast track has been nudged a little bit eastward, increasing the probability of tropical storm force winds and hurricane force gusts for Niihau and Kauai.

South-southwesterly shear is forecast to increase to strong levels by tonight, which should induce a gradual weakening trend while Lowell is passing the Hawaiian Islands. However, even with the weakening, Lowell is not expected to change much in size, and tropical storm conditions are forecast to spread across Kauai and Niihau by Monday afternoon.

Lowell is forecast to turn toward the north-northwest and slow down by Tuesday night after passing the Hawaiian Islands.

Local alerts issued for Hawaii

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Kauai County, including the islands of Niihau and Kauai.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for portions of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, as well as Hawaiian offshore waters 40 to 250 nautical miles from coastlines.

A Flood Watch will be in effect for all Hawaiian Islands from Sunday evening through Tuesday afternoon. Heavy rain will be possible along the eastern flank of Lowell.

A High Surf Advisory has been extended until 6 a.m. Tuesday for south and east-facing shores of all Hawaiian islands and west shores of Hawaii Island. Expect surf building to 14 feet on east shores, 12 feet for south shores and 8 feet for west shores of Hawaii Island. The advisory is expected to be upgraded to a warning for affected south and west-facing shores Sunday night into Monday.

Potential impacts into the weekend

WIND: Tropical storm conditions are expected in Kauai County by Monday afternoon or evening. Hurricane conditions are possible in in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument between Nihoa and French Frigate Shoals Monday night, with tropical storm conditions beginning Monday afternoon. Wind speeds atop and on the windward and leeward sides of hills and mountains are often up to 30 percent stronger than the near-surface winds, and in some elevated locations could be even greater.

RAIN: Hurricane Lowell is expected to produce rainfall totals of 6 to 10 inches for Kauai, with maximum totals of 14 inches possible. For Hawaii Island, 4 to 8 inches of rain is expected with isolated totals of 12 inches possible. For Maui, 2 to 4 inches of rain is expected, with isolated maximum totals of 8 inches possible. Across the remaining islands, rainfall of 2 to 4 inches is possible. This rainfall may produce significant flash flooding and mudslides, especially across Kauai County and portions of Hawaii Island.

STORM SURGE: The combination of storm surge and tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide:

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the right of the center, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances.

SURF: Swells from Lowell are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions during the next several days across many of the Hawaiian islands.

Karina weakening quickly as it moves northwest

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Karina is rapidly weakening in the central Pacific. At 11 a.m. Sunday, it was 655 miles east-northeast of Hilo and was moving to the west-northwest at 6 miles per hour with maximum sustained winds decreasing to near 50 miles per hour.

Karina is entering a drier environment and increasing vertical wind shear. It is now forecast to be a post-tropical low tonight.

This continues to be an active hurricane season. Have a hurricane plan and supply kit in place for this weekend. Now is the time to make a plan for a worst-case scenario so you can take action if and when needed.

Your First Alert Weather Team will continue to monitor both systems closely over the next several days.

Data provided by the National Hurricane Center.