The center moved. The wind did not clock out.
Hurricane Lowell at 2 a.m. HST was a Category 2 โ 105 mph, down from 115 yesterday โ 110 miles northwest of Lihue, 215 west-northwest of Honolulu, moving north at 18 mph. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter fixed it. Pressure 965 mb. The core is north-northwest of Niihau and forecast farther from Kauai County today, then a northwest turn and a slowdown Wednesday. That is the good sentence. The next sentence is the one that still matters.
NHC: hurricane conditions are occurring across portions of Kauai County. Tropical-storm conditions, especially in gusts, are occurring on Oahu. Lihue Airport recently: 53 mph sustained, gust 75. Daniel K. Inouye in Honolulu: gust 43. Hurricane-force winds still reach 70 miles. Tropical-storm-force winds 195.
Kauai and Niihau remain under a hurricane warning. Oahu remains under a tropical storm warning. Papahanaumokuakea, Nihoa to French Frigate Shoals, still has the hurricane warning.
Civil Beat: thousands on Kauai lost power Monday night โ about 1 in 6 households. Check the KIUC outage map. Downed lines: assume they are live. 911 for a hazard, 808-246-4300 for KIUC.
Additional rain: Kauai 4โ8 inches, storm totals as high as 24. Big Island 3โ8 more, isolated storm total 12. Oahu and Maui County 2โ5, isolated 10. Surge Kauai County still 2โ4 feet. Tornadoes possible through the overnight. Surf stays life-threatening for days.
What this means for you
If you are on Kauai or Niihau, the pass is not the all-clear. Stay in a sturdy building. If you are on Oahu, gusts are already the story. If you fly into Lihue, the airport closed 2:30 p.m. Monday โ check the airline, not a cousin.
Bottom line: core northwest of Niihau. Cat 2. Hurricane conditions still on Kauai. The warning is not a souvenir.
GLHR NEWS explains the news. Not investment, tax, or trading advice. Do your own work before you act.
