Hawaii Declares Statewide Emergency as Category 4 Hurricane Lowell Bears Down on Kauai

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green has activated the state's full emergency machinery as Hurricane Lowell, a Category 4 storm with 150 mph winds, tracks toward a turn that forecasters say could bring it dangerously close to Kauai and Niihau early next week — barely three weeks after Hurricane Lala tore through the Big Island and left hundreds of homes damaged.

As of the National Hurricane Center's 5 a.m. HST advisory Saturday, Lowell was centered roughly 630 miles southwest of Lihue, moving west near 7 mph with a central pressure of 931 millibars. Forecasters said the storm could briefly regain Category 5 strength before a forecast turn toward the northwest tonight and then north-northeast on Sunday, setting up a close pass by the westernmost main Hawaiian Islands Monday night. No watches were in effect as of the morning advisory, though the center said they would "likely be required for portions of the western main Hawaiian Islands" later Saturday.

The numbers

Kauai County's emergency management agency has laid out a range of possible impacts rather than a single forecast, reflecting the uncertainty that far out from a still-shifting track. According to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency's storm bulletin, worst-case sustained winds for Kauai County are pegged at up to 95 mph, with statewide rainfall estimates around 5 inches and localized totals of 10 to 20 inches possible in the wettest bands. A high surf advisory is in effect for south- and east-facing shores, with the county's Friday afternoon update forecasting south-facing swells of 8 to 12 feet and wind gusts exceeding 50 mph in exposed areas even before the storm's core arrives. Roughly 129 Hawaii National Guard members were already deployed across the islands as of Thursday, with Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan saying up to 5,600 could be mobilized statewide if conditions warrant. State officials say six high-water rescue vehicles have already been repositioned to Kauai.

Bracing again, weeks after Lala

The preparations are unfolding against a backdrop most Hawaii officials would have preferred not to revisit so soon. Hurricane Lala struck the islands Aug. 14–16, becoming the first hurricane to make a direct hit on the Big Island since an unnamed 1871 storm and, by some measures, the third-wettest tropical cyclone on record to affect Hawaii. It damaged roughly 690 homes and structures statewide, knocked out power to more than 13,000 customers on the Big Island at its peak, and prompted President Trump to approve an emergency declaration for Hawaii County on Aug. 25, unlocking direct federal assistance at 75 percent cost share. Recovery work — debris removal, temporary housing placements, tax-penalty waivers for affected residents — is still underway on the Big Island. Now the state is simultaneously watching Lowell, Hurricane Karina and Tropical Storm Marie, an unusually crowded stretch of the central Pacific hurricane season.

Green signed a statewide emergency proclamation on Wednesday covering Lowell and the other active systems. The declaration, which runs through Nov. 1 unless lifted sooner, does not order evacuations or impose curfews on its own, but it lets state and county agencies mobilize personnel and equipment without normal procurement delays, activate the National Guard for disaster relief, and draw on the state's Major Disaster Fund without the usual $10 million cap.

Memories of Iniki

For Kauai residents, the storm has revived a specific and painful reference point: Hurricane Iniki, which struck the island in 1992 with gusts topping 200 mph after veering unexpectedly from its forecast path, killing seven people and causing more than $3 billion in damage. It remains the most powerful hurricane on record to hit Hawaii. Kauai County Mayor Derek Kawakami, who was a child on the island when Iniki hit, invoked that history directly in the county's preparedness briefing this week, recalling being woken by sirens and his father telling him they needed to get to the grocery store to help bag supplies for neighbors.

"We know that the memory of Hurricane ʻIniki is close to the surface for many of our families right now, so let us stay vigilant and prepare with a steady hand," Kawakami said in the county's Friday afternoon update.

Store shelves on Kauai have been thinning out over the past two days as residents stock up on plywood, canned goods and batteries, and travelers have been canceling or rebooking trips. No refuge shelters were open as of Friday afternoon, with the county advising residents that sheltering in place in sound, hardened structures outside flood and storm-surge zones may be preferable to traveling once conditions deteriorate. County officials published an updated list of potential refuge sites at kauai.gov and urged residents to keep a 14-day supply of food, a gallon of water per person per day, and portable "go kits" ready in case evacuation orders are issued. Green struck a similarly measured but urgent tone in remarks announcing the emergency proclamation, saying the state was "taking Hurricane Lowell extremely seriously and preparing now, before conditions deteriorate," while noting the storm's exact track was still not locked in.

What happens next

The National Hurricane Center's guidance calls for Lowell to slow its forward speed over the next day before making its northward turn, arriving nearest the islands Monday night into Tuesday. Emergency managers caution that even a track that keeps the center offshore could still bring dangerous surf, flash flooding and mudslides on steep terrain, given how saturated some Kauai watersheds remain after earlier-season rain. State officials, in a joint briefing Thursday, said crews have been lowering reservoir levels, clearing waterways and securing harbors and construction sites on Kauai and Niihau in anticipation of the storm's closest approach. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency's next scheduled update was set for 11 a.m. HST Saturday, the point at which the National Weather Service and county officials said they would have a clearer picture of whether watches or warnings need to be issued for the western islands. Residents have been directed to county-specific emergency text-alert systems and to GoHawaii.com for visitor-specific guidance, while state agencies continue coordinating with utilities and fuel suppliers to prepare for possible disruptions if Lowell's core tracks close enough to the islands to bring hurricane-force winds ashore.