Hawaii declares emergency as Hurricane Lowell approaches with tropical storm warnings

Hawaii declared a state of emergency on Sunday as Hurricane Lowell, a Category 3 storm with winds of 125mph, moved toward the islands. The first impacts were expected to arrive as early as Monday. Tropical storm warnings were issued for Kauaʻi and Niʻihau as authorities prepared for heavy rain, high surf and dangerous coastal conditions.

Forecasters predicted that Lowell would weaken to a Category 2 storm by the time it reached Hawaii. The storm's centre was projected to pass approximately 130 miles west of Niʻihau or 170 miles west of Kauaʻi between Monday evening and Tuesday morning. This track would keep the most dangerous winds offshore, sparing the islands a direct hit from the hurricane.

Lowell is the third tropical system to threaten Hawaii within just over three weeks, reflecting an unusually intense Pacific hurricane season. As of Saturday, three hurricanes were simultaneously active in the Pacific: Karina, Lowell and Marie. This marked the region's first triple-hurricane stretch in a decade. The National Hurricane Center was also monitoring a fourth potential system off the coast of Mexico. The Pacific typically experiences only about eight hurricanes annually, making the current activity highly unusual for the season.