Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Sep 7
Hurricane Lowell Triggers Warning for Kauai County With 115 mph Winds
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Sep 7

Hurricane Lowell Triggers Warning for Kauai County With 115 mph Winds

3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Sep 7

Summary

  • Kauai County went under a hurricane warning late Sunday Hawaii time as Hurricane Lowell, a Category 3 storm, approached western Hawaii; the alert also covers parts of the 583,000-square-mile Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.
  • 115 mph sustained winds and a forecast track just west of the main Hawaiian Islands Monday night drove the warning, with the National Hurricane Center expecting only gradual weakening through Tuesday and Lowell to remain a hurricane as it passes nearby.
  • Rainfall of 6 to 10 inches on Kauai—locally 14 inches—plus 4 to 8 inches on the Big Island and 4 to 6 inches on Oahu could trigger significant flash flooding and mudslides, especially in Kauai County and parts of the Big Island.
  • A storm surge of up to 3 feet, hurricane-force winds extending 60 miles from the center, life-threatening surf and rip currents, and possible tornadoes near Kauai and Niihau add to the immediate hazards.

Insights

What hidden ecological devastation awaits the fragile marine life of the Papahanaumokuakea Monument as Hurricane Lowell churns through its waters?
With massive mudslides looming, how will Kauai's isolated communities survive if Hurricane Lowell completely severs all emergency rescue routes?
As Category 3 winds batter Hawaii, are local shelters truly equipped to handle a catastrophic, prolonged failure of the power grid?