On Monday night (September 7th), Tropical Storm Lowell, a Category 2 hurricane, struck the western islands of Hawaii, bringing destructive strong winds, heavy rains, and fierce waves, causing widespread power outages in most areas of Kauai and other islands. Over 60,000 users in the state were affected by power outages.
Lowell’s center passed less than 50 miles from Niʻihau, an island in Kauai County, making it the strongest hurricane to impact the main Hawaiian islands since Hurricane Iniki in 1992.
Lowell is the third storm to hit Hawaii in just over three weeks. The current El Niño phenomenon has significantly intensified hurricane activity in the Pacific.
Kauai County suffered the most severe impact from the hurricane. According to statistics from PowerOutage.us, at the time of reporting, 60,166 users in Hawaii were without power, with Kauai County alone accounting for 33,259 households and businesses, or about 90% of the county.
Wind gusts in Kauai County reached up to 87 miles per hour in Nawiliwili and 84 miles per hour in Lihue.
“Kauai County is currently littered with downed power lines, trees, and debris, so we strongly urge everyone to evacuate locally,” said Alan Clinton, head of the Kauai County emergency team.
Kauai County remains under a hurricane warning, with the most severe effects of the hurricane expected to continue into Tuesday morning.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green declared a state of emergency last Thursday (September 3) to prepare for the storm.
Tropical storm-level strong winds and rain have spread eastward to Oahu. Honolulu recorded wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour, while gusts in higher elevation areas exceeded 70 miles per hour.
By 11 p.m. local time on Monday night, high areas of Kauai Island had already accumulated over 1 foot of rainfall. The Koolau Mountains on Oahu registered rainfall totals of 5 to 9 inches, while most other areas accumulated 1 to 3 inches of rainfall.
Several rivers on Kauai Island have reached flood alert levels, although the heaviest rainfall from the hurricane has passed in the region. Meanwhile, road flooding has also been reported on Oahu due to heavy rainfall, with the island maintaining a tropical storm warning.
Hurricane Lowell is expected to move northward on Tuesday, away from Hawaii, with wind speeds gradually weakening during the process.
Flood warnings for the entire state of Hawaii will remain in effect until Tuesday afternoon.
(This article was referenced from CNN’s reporting)