Hawaii declares state of emergency as Hurricane Lowell approaches
The category 3 hurricane is the third storm to threaten the islands in three weeks amid unusually intense Pacific hurricane activity.
What happened
Hawaii declared a state of emergency as Hurricane Lowell, a category 3 storm with 125 mph winds, approached the islands with first impacts expected Monday. The National Hurricane Center forecasts Lowell will reach Hawaii as a category 2 hurricane, with its center potentially passing 130–170 miles west of Ni'ihau and Kauai between Monday evening and Tuesday morning. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for Kauai and Ni'ihau, with wind gusts above 39 mph possible over 48 hours. Heavy rain, high surf, and dangerous coastal conditions are expected, though the projected offshore path should keep the most dangerous winds away from the islands. Lowell is the third hurricane or tropical storm system to threaten Hawaii in just over three weeks, following Hurricane Lala and Tropical Storm Moke.
Context
The escalating threat reflects unusually intense hurricane activity across the central Pacific. As of Saturday, Hurricanes Karina, Lowell, and Marie were simultaneously active—the region's first triple-hurricane occurrence in a decade—while the National Hurricane Center monitored a fourth potential system off Mexico's coast. The Pacific averages only eight hurricanes per year, making three concurrent hurricanes highly unusual. The repeated impacts compound recent damage: Hurricane Lala caused at least $43 million in infrastructure damage and $4.6 million in home damage on Hawaii's Big Island. The UN has warned that a record-strength El Niño, with near 100% probability of continuing through February 2027, is forecast to significantly alter rainfall and temperature patterns globally and intensify extreme weather events.