Lowell set to rapidly intensify, Karina continues westward on track toward Hawaii

News admin August 31, 2026 0 Comments

Lowell set to rapidly intensify, Karina continues westward on track toward Hawaii

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Tropical Storm Lowell is expected to intensify rapidly and become a major hurricane Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Karina has weakened slightly but remains a major category 4 hurricane as it continues to spin far to the east of Hawaii as it continues toward the central Pacific.

The official forecast track for Lowell shows it passing well to the south of Hawaii Thursday into Friday. There are alerts for the possibility of life-threatening surf and rip currents generated by the tropical storm, but there are no alerts for other potential impacts on land, including wind and rain.

Karina is currently no threat to land, and it’s too early to tell exactly where it will go, but several forecast models keep in on a track that will bring it to the vicinity of Hawaii in about a week.

The National Hurricane Center said at 11 a.m Monday, Lowell was centered about 740 miles southeast of Hilo and was moving westward at 13 miles per hour.

Lowell’s maximum sustained winds were holding steady at 65 miles per hour, with tropical storm-force winds extending outward up to 90 miles from the center.

Meanwhile, Karina was 1,085 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California and was moving to the west-northwest at 9 miles per hour with maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour.

This continues to be an active hurricane season. Be prepared for the potential of some effects on Hawaii weather conditions from these two tropical cyclones from Friday through next Wednesday (Sept. 4 through Sept. 9).

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

Data provided by the National Hurricane Center.