- Hurricane Lowell caused significant damage to Hawaii’s western islands this week.
- On Tuesday night, the centre of Lowell tracked 50 miles from the island of Ni‘ihau as a category 2 storm with winds of up to 110mph.
- The strong winds resulted in widespread power outages across Ni‘ihau, and the islands of Kaua‘i and O‘ahu.
- A tornado watch was issued for Kaua‘i on Monday night into Tuesday morning, likely the first in Hawaii's history.
- The University of Hawai'i team reconstructed Lowell's hour-by-hour impact using observations from the Hawai'i Mesonet.
- On September 6, rainfall amounts of 5 inches or more along the Ko'olau Ridge sent flood waters down Waikāne and Waiahole Valleys on O‘ahu, forcing the closure of Kamehameha Highway.
- On September 7, nearly all of Kaua‘i received more than 2 inches of rain, with many areas exceeding 5 inches; Mount Wai‘ale‘ale recorded over 23 inches.
Hurricane Lowell made landfall near Niʻihau and Kauaʻi, registering as a Category 2 storm with winds reaching 110 mph. The storm caused widespread power outages and significant rainfall, with Mount Waiʻaleʻale recording over 23 inches on September 7 alone.12389
The University of Hawaiʻi team utilized the Hawaiʻi Mesonet to reconstruct the storm's impact, revealing that the highest measured wind speed at Līhuʻe Airport was 56 mph. However, models indicated that winds over high-elevation ridges exceeded 100 mph due to the island's steep topography.
Rainfall was particularly severe, with 5 inches or more recorded along the Koʻolau Ridge, leading to flooding in Waikāne and Waiahole Valleys on Oʻahu, which forced the closure of Kamehameha Highway. On September 7, nearly all of Kauaʻi received over 2 inches of rain, with many areas exceeding 5 inches. The north shore of Kauaʻi saw river levels rise, closing Hanalei Bridge as Waipā and Lower Limahuli recorded over 14 and 17 inches of rainfall, respectively.7
This storm is part of an above-normal hurricane season driven by a strong El Niño, with five named storms already recorded in the central Pacific this year.
“The storm triggered the first tornado watch in Hawaii's history, though no tornado was documented. Rainfall exceeded 23 inches on Mount Wai'ale'ale, and winds over exposed ridges locally surpassed 100 mph, according to the reconstruction.”
The Guardian
