{"id":884238,"date":"2026-09-08T08:32:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T08:32:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/884238\/"},"modified":"2026-09-08T08:32:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T08:32:29","slug":"powerful-category-2-hurricane-lowell-makes-a-rare-direct-hit-on-hawaii-as-conditions-worsen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/884238\/","title":{"rendered":"Powerful Category 2 Hurricane Lowell makes a rare direct hit on Hawaii as conditions worsen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hawaii is on high alert as Hurricane Lowell approaches the islands, potentially bringing heavy rain, flooding, power outages and damaging surf. FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross is live with the latest.<\/p>\n

THE TAKEAWAY<\/p>\n

Category 2 Hurricane Lowell makes a rare, direct hit on Hawaii.Although Lowell’s center is not forecast to make landfall, the storm’s strongest winds are within 60 miles of both Ni\u02bbihau and Kaua\u02bbi.Lowell is expected to make closest approach around midnight local time.Kaua’i is under a Tornado Watch.<\/p>\n

HONOLULU \u2014 Powerful Category 2 Hurricane<\/a> Lowell made a rare direct hit on Hawaii’s<\/a> western islands Monday night Hawaii time, with rain and wind continuing to intensify as state officials report thousands of power outages on both Kaua’i and Oahu, the state’s most populous island.<\/p>\n

While the storm’s center is not expected to make landfall, the definition of a direct hit is when a hurricane passes within a distance that is up to twice the length between the center of the storm and the maximum winds, which in Lowell’s case is 60 miles.<\/p>\n

WHAT DO HURRICANE AND TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS MEAN?<\/a><\/p>\n

Hurricane Lowell Statistics.
(FOX Weather)
\u00a0<\/p>\n

Heavy rain from Hurricane Lowell has already triggered flash flooding<\/a> on both Kaua’i and Oahu and damaging surf is pounding Hawaii’s southern shores.<\/p>\n

Sustained winds between 65 and 85 mph have been recorded on Ni’ihau and gusts over 70 mph have been recorded on Kaua’i, including a top gust of 84 mph.<\/p>\n

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a rare Tornado Watch in parts of Hawaii through 4 a.m. Officials said this is the first Tornado Watch issued by NWS Honolulu since at least 2008.<\/p>\n

LATEST FROM FOX WEATHER HURRICANE SPECIALIST BRYAN NORCROSS<\/a><\/p>\n

Lowell’s track shifted farther east early Monday morning Hawaii time, closer to the western islands Ni’ihau and Kaua’i, prompting the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to issue a Tropical Storm Warning for Oahu.<\/p>\n

A Hurricane Warning was issued for Kaua\u02bbi County late Sunday as well as parts of the Papah\u0101naumoku\u0101kea Marine National Monument, a chain of smaller islands northwest of Hawaii’s populated islands.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/ <\/p>\n

A rare Tornado Watch has been issued in parts of Hawaii.<\/p>\n

(FOX Weather)<\/p>\n

A Flash Flood Warning was issued for the northern side of Kaua’i on Monday night.<\/p>\n

Lowell remains a powerful Category 2 storm, with maximum sustained winds<\/a> of 110 mph. It’s 135 miles southwest of Lihue and is moving north-northeast at 18 mph, according to the NHC.<\/p>\n

In their 5 p.m. advisory, Hurricane Lowell weakened slightly, going from a Category 3 storm to a Category 2 storm, according to the NHC.<\/p>\n

Hurricane Lowell Alerts
(FOX Weather)
\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lowell is expected to produce more heavy rain, flash flooding, gusty winds and damaging surf across the entire island chain, forecast to make its closest approach to the western islands around midnight Monday heading into Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n

FOX Weather Correspondent Katie Byrne<\/a>, reported strong wind gusts along the beaches of K\u014dloa on Kaua’i just after 10 p.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n

TIMELINE: WHEN HAWAII WILL START FEELING HURRICANE LOWELL’S IMPACTS<\/a><\/p>\n

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green declared a state of emergency last Thursday in preparation for the storm.<\/p>\n

Tracking Hurricane Lowell
(FOX Weather)
\u00a0<\/p>\n

Byrne said people on Kaua’i were told by government officials to have at least three days’ worth of food and supplies. Officials also asked people in low-lying areas to have an evacuation plan in place.<\/p>\n

TRACK HURRICANE LOWELL: PATH, FORECAST CONE, SPAGHETTI MODELS, WIND AND MORE<\/a><\/p>\n

Some people across the state, including those Byrne interviewed on the Big Island, boarded up their homes as a precaution.<\/p>\n

The impacts of Hurricane Lowell are already starting to be felt across the Hawaiian Islands. FOX Weather Storm Specialist Mike Seidel is live in Kekaha, Hawaii, with the latest as heavy rain and flooding affect the area.<\/p>\n

Rain associated with Lowell had already triggered flash flooding<\/a> along the Kamehameha Highway north of Waikane in Oahu on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n

\"Waiahole <\/p>\n

next<\/p>\n

\n Waiahole flooding on Oahu on Sep. 6, 2026.
\n (DOTHawaii\/X)<\/p>\n

\"Keanae <\/p>\n

prevnext<\/p>\n

\n Keanae mudslide on Maui on Sep. 6, 2026.
\n (DOTHawaii)<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

prevnext<\/p>\n

\n Locals boarding up their home ahead of Hurricane Lowell in Waimea, Hawaii.
\n (\u00a0)<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

prevnext<\/p>\n

\n Locals board up their home ahead of Hurricane Lowell in Hawaii.
\n (\u00a0)<\/p>\n

\"Large <\/p>\n

prevnext<\/p>\n

\n Large waves break off Diamond Head Beach Park in Honolulu, Hawaii, on September 6, 2026.
\n ((Photo by Michelle Bir \/ AFP via Getty Images))<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

prevnext<\/p>\n

\n Papak\u014dlea Green Sand Beach on Big Island, Hawaii.
\n (Courtney Collins)<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

prev<\/p>\n

\n HONOLULU, HI – AUGUST 23: \u00a0Onlookers get hit by large waves at the end of the Waikiki pier as Hurricane Lane approaches Waikiki Beach on August 23, 2018 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Hurricane Lane, which lashed the Big Island with nearly 20 inches of rain, has been downgraded to a Category 3 storm. (Photo by Kat Wade\/Getty Images)
\n (\u00a0)<\/p>\n

Hurricane Lowell’s timing and expected impacts<\/p>\n

Lowell was initially expected to pass farther west of Hawaii, but the storm’s track has continued to shift eastward since Friday.<\/p>\n

While a direct landfall is not expected, hurricane conditions are appearing more likely on Ni’ihau and Kaua’i due to the storm’s proximity, the FOX Forecast Center<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

HURRICANE SEASON 2026: THESE ARE THE STORM NAMES YOU’LL SEE THIS SEASON<\/a><\/p>\n

Hurricane Lowell’s eastward shift
(FOX Weather)
\u00a0<\/p>\n

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER<\/a><\/p>\n

Lowell could bring flash flooding, mudslide and tornado threat<\/p>\n

The worst conditions of the storm are expected as Category 2 Hurricane Lowell makes its closest approach within the next several hours before conditions rapidly improve, according to the FOX Forecast Center.<\/p>\n

Wind Forecast
(FOX Weather)
\u00a0<\/p>\n

The NHC warned that tornadoes could form within Lowell\u2019s outer bands over Ni\u02bbihau and Kaua\u02bbi from Monday afternoon into the evening.<\/p>\n

As the storm tracks closer to the state, life-threatening surf and waves between 20 and 30 feet will be possible along Hawaii’s south and west-facing shores.<\/p>\n

“Expect ocean water surging and sweeping over beaches, coastal benches and roadways, creating the potential for significant damage to coastal properties and infrastructure<\/a>, including roadways,” NHC said.<\/p>\n

This graphic shows the high surf alerts amidst Hurricane Lowell.
(FOX Weather)
\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lowell is expected to dump between 6 and 10 more inches of rain on Kaua’i, with localized pockets of up to 16 inches possible.<\/p>\n

Between 4 and 6 inches of rain is expected across the Big Island, with pockets of up to 12 inches, while 4 to 8 inches of rain is expected across Maui and Oahu.<\/p>\n

This graphic shows the expected rain in Hawaii.
(FOX Weather)
\u00a0<\/p>\n

“On the Big Island of Hawaii, very heavy rain is forecast as well on the same slopes that were so damaged by Hurricane Lala,” FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross said.<\/p>\n

“Throughout the Hawaiian Islands, there will be pockets of heavy rain, especially on the windward slopes,” he continued.<\/p>\n

The storm is expected to make its closest pass around midnight before accelerating quickly Tuesday morning, with winds and surf subsiding by Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

HOW ARE HURRICANES RATED? THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE EXPLAINED<\/a><\/p>\n

\"HAWAII, <\/p>\n

HAWAII, UNITED STATES – 2 SEPTEMBER 2026: Satellite view shows Hurricane Lowell churning in the Central Pacific south of Hawaii\u2019s Big Island, with a distinct eye and major hurricane strength. The storm\u2019s northward trajectory placed the northern island of Kauai at risk of destructive winds, flooding rains, and hazardous surf. Imaged 2 September 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

((Photo by Gallo Images\/Orbital Horizon\/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2026) \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Hurricane Lowell peaked as a Category 5<\/a> storm last Wednesday with winds<\/a> up to 160 mph, before weakening to a Category 3, then a Category 4, storm by Thursday and Friday, respectively.<\/p>\n

Lowell was the first Category 5 storm in the Central Pacific Basin since Walaka in October 2018.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hawaii is on high alert as Hurricane Lowell approaches the islands, potentially bringing heavy rain, flooding, power outages…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":884239,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[64,63,6045,75,35216,244,10569,204403,128,15763,262426,2489,60316,10650],"class_list":["post-884238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-climate","tag-environment","tag-flood","tag-hawaii","tag-hurricanes","tag-precipitation","tag-science","tag-severe-weather","tag-stay22","tag-us","tag-weather-news","tag-wind"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/884238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=884238"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/884238\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/884239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=884238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=884238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=884238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}