Hawaii has declared a state of emergency as Hurricane Lowell advances across the central Pacific, with initial impacts possible as soon as Monday.
Lowell remained a category 3 hurricane early on Sunday, with winds of 125 miles per hour and a northwest drift of six miles per hour. Forecast guidance projects the storm will reach the islands as a category 2 system, with its center passing roughly 130 miles west of Ni’ihau or about 170 miles west of Kauai between Monday evening and Tuesday morning.
Officials have issued a tropical storm warning for Kauai and Ni’ihau, where gusts above 39 miles per hour are possible over the next 48 hours. Even if Lowell’s core stays offshore, forecasters warn of heavy rain, high surf and dangerous coastal conditions that could cause flooding and coastal erosion.
Lowell is the third storm to threaten Hawaii in just over three weeks. Tropical Storm Moke struck the southern islands two weeks ago, soon after Hurricane Lala passed through. Hawaii governor Josh Green has said Lala produced at least $43m in infrastructure damage on the Big Island, and $4.6m in damage to homes.
The current cluster of storms is unusual for the central Pacific. Hurricanes Karina, Lowell and Marie were all active in the region at the same time, the first such triple-hurricane stretch in a decade. The National Hurricane Center was also tracking a fourth possible system off Mexico. The Pacific typically sees only eight hurricanes in a year, making three concurrent hurricanes notable.
Climate signals are heightening concern. The United Nations has warned this El Niño is forecast to become the strongest on record in four decades and said there is a near 100% chance it will persist through February 2027. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has previously placed the probability at 69% that this El Niño will be the strongest in 70 years, a pattern that raises the odds of prolonged extreme weather.
Emergency services in Hawaii are mobilising resources and monitoring the storm’s track as forecasts update. Officials and residents will be watching how Lowell’s path evolves and whether surf and rainfall push hazardous conditions onto the islands.
