Hurricane Lowell Blacks Out 90% of Kauai
Hurricane Lowell Blacks Out 90% of Kauai
The News
Hurricane Lowell hit Hawaii's western islands with hurricane-force winds and heavy rain overnight, leaving Kauai in a near-total blackout before the storm began pulling away Tuesday morning.
About 57,669 of Kauai's electricity customers — roughly 90% — were without power Tuesday morning, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.com. Another 26,000 customers lost power on Oahu.
Kauai and Niihau were the hardest-hit islands. Kauai emergency officials asked residents and visitors to stay off the roads as crews cleared debris and downed lines.
The Numbers
The National Hurricane Center said Lowell was passing just west of Niihau early Tuesday with maximum sustained winds around 110 mph. Gusts reached 80 mph, and sustained winds measured just above 50 mph at Lihue Airport on Kauai.
Forecasters put Kauai's rainfall at 4 to 8 inches, with maximum storm totals of up to 24 inches possible. Tropical storm-force winds extended nearly 200 miles from the center.
Kauai has more than 73,000 residents. Niihau, the westernmost of the main inhabited islands, has fewer than 100.
Timeline
Hurricane conditions begin on Kauai and Niihau in the afternoon, the hurricane center said. Kauai's main airport shuts down. Shoppers strip shelves on the island, with plywood running low and no propane left at one Home Depot as lines form at Costco and gas pumps.
Gov. Josh Green closes schools and government offices on Kauai, Niihau and Oahu for Tuesday and urges residents to stay indoors. Public schools and University of Hawaii campuses on the three islands are shut.
Lowell, a Category 2 storm, passes just west of Niihau with 110 mph maximum sustained winds. Kauai and Niihau are under a hurricane warning; Oahu, home to close to 1 million residents, is under a tropical storm warning. Tornado and flash flood alerts cover the islands.
Nearly 90% of Kauai is without power. Kuhio Highway near Hanalei Bridge and several sections of Route 50 are closed by debris and downed trees. At the Makaha Beach Cabanas on Oahu, shoreline water fills three to four ground-floor units with a few inches of water, HawaiiNewsNow reported.
Reactions
"As the light comes up and the extent of the damage from Hurricane Lowell comes into focus, we want to ensure that no additional emergency situations arise unnecessarily," said Elton Ushio, administrator of the Kauai Emergency Management Agency. "Mahalo in advance for your help and cooperation as we work to get our island back on its feet after this powerful storm."
Green said the closures were about keeping people out of the way of emergency crews. "Closing offices, schools and courts will help keep people off the roads during dangerous conditions and allow emergency crews to focus on protecting our communities," he said in a statement, urging everyone in Kauai County to remain indoors and avoid unnecessary travel.
AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva said the storm passed close enough to do real damage: "Wind gusts of 40 to 60mph will continue across Oahu, with higher gusts of 60-80 mph across Kauai. Stronger winds of 80 to 90mph will continue to occur across Ni'ihau and the higher elevations of Kauai."
What's Next
The hurricane center expects Lowell to turn toward the northwest and west, slow down Wednesday and Thursday, and keep weakening.
Damaging winds, flooding and dangerous surf were forecast to continue across the islands through at least Tuesday morning and possibly all day. The hurricane center warned of life-threatening surf and rip currents into Wednesday.
A fuller damage assessment was expected Tuesday as crews worked in daylight. The National Weather Service warned Lowell's winds could have caused structural damage to sturdy buildings and total destruction of mobile homes, and said some locations may be uninhabitable for weeks or months.
More
Kauai has not taken a major hurricane since Iniki in September 1992, a Category 4 storm that struck with 145-mph winds and 20-foot waves and caused nearly $1.8 billion in damage.
The islands were already battered before Lowell arrived. A storm last month — Lala — brushed past Hawaii, triggered landslides and washed away about 100 homes, with the Daily Mail reporting it was blamed for at least two deaths and billions of dollars in property damage, mostly on the Big Island.
The Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15 to Nov. 30, and forecasters had warned this year's season could be unusually intense.
Poll
How should officials handle Hawaii's back-to-back storm damage?
Colleges Condemn Students Mocking Kirk Assassination Anniversary
Charleston White Arrested Again on Florida Battery Charge
Sep 13, 2026
Border Patrol Rescues MS NOW Crew in Desert
Sep 13, 2026
Supreme Court Restores Missouri's Old House Map
Sep 13, 2026
Alaska Drops Felony Voter Charges Against Samoans
Sep 13, 2026
Trespasser Breaches Harris' Malibu Estate; No Arrest
Sep 12, 2026
Hegseth Pressed Downed Airmen Into 60 Minutes
Sep 12, 2026
Houthis Seize Mokha, Choking Saudi Oil Exports
Sep 12, 2026
Altman Rules Out OpenAI IPO This Year
Sep 12, 2026
Jury Acquits Lil Durk in Murder-for-Hire Case
Sep 12, 2026
Judge: Trump Broke Law Halving FEMA Staff
Sep 12, 2026
Maher Calls Democrats' Gaza Genocide Claim a Lie
Sep 12, 2026
Blizzard Revives StarCraft, Sends Diablo to Netflix
Sep 12, 2026
Trump's Queens Childhood Home Sells for $1.93M
Sep 12, 2026
Scientists Find New Virus in Tick Invading US
Sep 12, 2026
Britain Bans Settlement Imports; US States Threaten Payback
Sep 12, 2026
Prison Fire Kills 7 as Kurds Protest Killing
Sep 12, 2026
Kosovo Rallies for Ex-President Before Hague Verdict
Sep 12, 2026
Cruz Booed at GameDay Over College Sports Bill
Sep 12, 2026
Blast Hits Bulgarian Arms Plant Supplying Ukraine
Sep 12, 2026
Sep 13, 2026