HONOLULU — Hurricane Lowell battered Hawaii's westernmost islands overnight with hurricane-force winds exceeding 80 miles per hour and heavy rainfall. The storm's center passed less than 50 miles from Niihau island in Kauai County as a Category 2 system, making it the strongest hurricane to directly impact the main Hawaiian Islands since Category 4 Iniki in 1992.
Lowell is the third storm in just over three weeks to strike the Hawaiian archipelago as El Niño conditions intensify the Pacific hurricane season. Powerful winds generated heavy surf and destructive waves that pushed ocean water onshore.
Wind and storm surge damaged homes and other structures across Kauai County, Ryan Wilson, a spokesperson for the county's emergency management agency, said. Storm-related injuries were reported, though details on their severity or the extent of home damage were not immediately available.
Power outages were extensive, with around 90 percent of homes and businesses in Kauai County losing electricity, according to PowerOutage.com. The county's utility provider stated Tuesday morning that there is "no estimated time of restoration."
More than 30,000 customers on Oahu also experienced power loss due to tropical-storm-force wind gusts. Statewide, over 60,000 homes and businesses lost electricity.
Emergency officials urged residents to remain indoors. "There are currently downed power lines, downed trees, debris all over Kauai, so we are really urging folks to stay in place," said Alan Clinton, situation unit leader with Kauai County.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green said the storm generated destructive waves that "damaged a lot of the area right around the shoreline" on Kauai. High surf also inundated several ground floor units in a western Oahu condominium Monday.
Voluntary evacuation advisories were issued for 650 residences on the south and west shores of Kauai due to the threat of storm surge, county emergency management officials said.
Emergency shelters in Kauai County housed more than 300 people and dozens of pets as of Tuesday morning. Dozens of guests at the ISO Hotel in Kapa'a, Kauai, were moved to shelters Monday.
All flights at Lihue Airport, Kauai's primary air hub, were canceled Monday afternoon. The state Department of Transportation said the airport would reopen only when conditions permit safe operations.
State and county offices, Kauai Community College, and public schools in Kauai County and on Oahu remained closed Tuesday as cleanup efforts and damage assessments commenced.
Hurricane Lowell is expected to weaken to a tropical storm as it progresses north away from Hawaii. Trailing rainbands are forecast to deliver additional rainfall to areas already saturated, with more than a foot of rain recorded in Kauai's higher elevations.
