Hurricane Lowell

Hurricane Lowell is a category 2 hurricane that is currently impacting the western islands of Hawaii, which has brought upon the state's first ever tornado watch. It occurred on September 7th and 8th of 2026 and the island is still dealing with the destruction of it. Hurricane Lowell has caused 21 inches of rainfall that led to flash floods across Hawaii’s islands Niihau and Kahui. The local government has sent crews to the whole island to assess the situation. During the assessment, NBC stated that, “Around 80% of homes and businesses remain without power in Kauai County."

Hurricane Lowell started on the Western side of Hawaii and first struck the coast of the islands Kanuia and Niihau. According to CBS News, “The National Hurricane Center also issued a tropical storm warning for the island of Oahu as Lowell approached close to land." Hurricane Lowell also has extended to vast parts of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine national monument; which covers around 583,000 square miles of oceans and 10 of Hawaii’s islands. On Monday, September 7, 2026, Hurricane Lowell had been categorized as a major Category 3 storm. According to CBS News, “Lowell is forecast to remain a hurricane as it passes near the Hawaiian Islands." It has also been reported that Hurricane Lowell could bring huge amounts of rain between 4-8 inches of rain for Kunai and there’s a possibility for 24 inches of rainfall in some other areas.

Hurricane Lowell has caused countless damage to people and their businesses on the island. According to NBC News, “On Kauai’s south shore, Hurricane Lowell lifted a home off its foundation and split it in two." It has also been reported that at Sheraton hotel, the floods pushed cars into their parking lot, which destroyed their ocean front restaurant. These are just some of the many damages caused by Hurricane Lowell; many residents and businesses will have to survive without power for many days, which could negatively impact their current situation.

In conclusion, even though Hurricane Lowell did not have a direct landfall in Hawaii it still caused damage to the western coast of Hawaii. Hurricane Lowell was a very resilient storm that reached category 5 twice. It also took a plethora of infrastructure, leaving about 80% of the population without electricity or resources. In addition to all the damages it caused, Hurricane Lowell also left many psychological scars on the people of Hawaii.

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