Hawaii is no longer looking at a maybe-4.
Hurricane Lowell regained Category 5 on Friday with 160 mph sustained winds, drifting west at 7 mph, about 600 miles south-southwest of Honolulu and 615 from Lihue. Hurricane-force winds reach 60 miles out. Tropical-storm-force winds reach 160. Some more strengthening is possible before a Sunday fade.
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center still has the westward crawl through Saturday, then a sharp north turn Sunday. That turn brings a major hurricane close to Kauai late Monday and Monday night. Forecasters said hurricane watches could be required for parts of Kauai County today.
What the islands are actually doing
146 Hawaii National Guard troops are already activated β 46 on Oahu, 56 on Hawaii island (still cleaning up Lala), 20 on Kauai with 16 more incoming, a smaller footprint on Maui. Six high-water vehicles and a potable-water trailer are on Kauai.
Kauai Island Utility Cooperative told customers to plan for outages Monday into Tuesday, with restoration that could take days. The state opened three hurricane refuge centers on Kauai. DOE is stocking shelf-stable food in vulnerable schools. DHS sent SNAP replacement forms.
Rain: Kauai and the Big Island 3β6 inches, isolated 10. Maui 2β4, isolated 8. Other islands 1β2. KaΚ»Ε« and Puna are still raw from Lala. Surf builds late Sunday: up to 12 feet south, 14 east. South winds, even weaker ones, hit harder than trades.
Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi called the latest track βmore encouragingβ for Oahu and said do not declare it over. Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami told people not to wreck themselves at the gas station. Niihau is in contact with the Robinsons.
Karina is a fading Cat 1. Marie is off Baja. The two-storm tug on Lowell looks less likely now.
If you need a person: 988. Hawaii Cares.
What this means for you
If you are on Kauai or Niihau, treat Monday as a real date. If you have a western-islands trip early next week, this is when you cancel. If you are swimming today, donβt.
Bottom line: Category 5 is the number. The turn is Sunday. The watch may be today. Hawaii is already acting like it.
GLHR NEWS explains the news. Not investment, tax, or trading advice. Do your own work before you act.
