One of Hawaii’s westernmost main islands was hit with damaging surf of 30 feet and offshore winds of over 100 mph as Category 2 Hurricane Lowell approached Monday, officials said.
The hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, posed a risk to all the major islands due to the possibility of heavy rains and landslides, forecasters warned.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said in a 5 p.m. local time update that there have been winds of around 100 mph and greater offshore of Kauai.
“They’re having a huge impact, 20- to 30-foot surf, damaging a lot of the area right around the shoreline,” he said in a video posted to social media.
Kauai County, which includes the islands of Kauai, Niʻihau, Lehua, and Kaʻula, was under a hurricane warning, the National Hurricane Center said.
Lowell is expected to pass to the west of Kauai and Niʻihau late Monday and early Tuesday morning, the agency said. Oahu was under a tropical storm warning.
Kauai County Mayor Derek Kawakami urged residents to be off the roads by midday on Monday. He credited the Kauai emergency management team whose preparations put the county “in a good position to be able to weather this storm as one community.”
“Hurricane Lowell is going to come a little closer than anticipated, and what that really means to everybody is that we are asking everyone to start sheltering in place,” Kawakami said.
Residents who live in flood zones were advised to call friends and family members in safer areas to see if they would be able to house them. Officials referred people to refuge centers as a last resort.
“I have to say, what I’ve observed over the last few days is nothing less than phenomenal,” Kawakami said. “I’ve seen people getting out there, getting prepared.”
The island of Niʻihau, located less than 20 miles southwest of Kauai, does not have a mayor and is technically part of Kauai County.
The worst of the storm is expected to occur overnight, but that could change, according to Kauai Emergency Management Administrator Elton Ushio. He warned of a threat of wind, water, flooding and storm surge.
“Conditions are rapidly deteriorating,” Ushio said. “You know we’re having multiple rivers reaching flood stage. ... We could have a prolonged closure out there of the Kuhio Highway, but other areas island-wide could be affected.”
Hurricane Lowell’s maximum sustained winds were 110 mph at around 5 p.m. local time Monday (10 p.m. ET), the National Hurricane Center said.
The storm is expected to weaken over the next several days. “However, Lowell is forecast to remain a hurricane as it passes near the Hawaiian Islands,” the agency said.
The core of the storm is forecast to move near or just west of Niʻihau Monday night or Tuesday, it said.
Storm surges of 2 to 4 feet are expected, as well as up to 16 inches of rain. The wet conditions on the island’s hills and mountains increase the risk of flash flooding and mudslides.
There is also a possibility that the islands could see tornadoes form due to the high winds.
Lowell previously reached Category 5 status but has since weakened. It’s the one of three cyclones that have swirled in the Pacific over the last week; the others are Hurricane Karina and Hurricane Marie, which brought rain and high surf to Southern California.
This high level of storm activity in the Pacific is consistent with expectations for El Niño, a natural climate pattern characterized by warmer-than-usual sea surface temperatures in parts of the Pacific Ocean. This year’s El Niño is forecast to be exceptionally intense, possibly record-breaking.
Hawaii is still recovering from previous bouts of heavy rain and flooding after Tropical Storm Lala impacted the Big Island last month. At least one person died in a storm-related car crash and more than 100,000 people lost power.
Just a week later, Tropical Storm Moke brought more rain. Now, as Lowell passes, some areas of Big Island could once again see up to 12 inches of rain, potentially compounding the prior storms’ effects.
All flights were canceled Monday for Lihue Airport, Kauai’s only airport, due to the hurricane, the state Department of Transportation said. There will be inspections of runways and facilities before they resume, it added.
The Kauai Emergency Management Agency urged residents to fill gas tanks, charge devices, refill prescriptions and gather water and food ahead of the storm. Residents should be prepared to stay home for several days, the agency said.
The county’s department of water similarly recommended that residents stock up on drinking water and fill buckets and bathtubs for nondrinking use.
Green announced that state and county offices in Kauai, including public schools, would be closed until Tuesday due to concerns about Lowell. He urged residents to follow guidance from local officials and remain indoors.
“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,” Green said.
Residents began preparations as early as Wednesday, a manager of Kauai’s only Home Depot told NBC News affiliate KHNL. The station reported that the store was bought of out generators, tarps, and other emergency gear.
Resident Nouveau Naumu told KHNL that he was 10 years old when Hawaii was hit by Hurricane Iniki. He remembered the devastation the 1992 storm left and was not taking Lowell lightly, he said.
“I just remember the high winds, us kind of huddling in the bathroom and things were just hitting the house, all the debris, and then waking up the next morning you could see the devastation,” Naumu said.
