Hawaii Hurricane Warning As Major Storm Lowell Approaches

(Bloomberg) — Hurricane warnings have been issued for Kauai and some other small Hawaiian islands as Storm Lowell moves north, raising memories of the trail of devastation left by Iniki in 1992.

Lowell’s top winds reached 115 miles (185 kilometers) per hour, making it a Category 3 or major hurricane. It is forecast to track near the westernmost islands of Hawaii late Monday before diverging, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in an advisory. But the storm brings heavy rain to all the islands, which have been ravaged by flood storms since last winter.

“We are expecting very heavy rains,” Hawaii Governor Josh Green said in a Facebook video late Sunday local time. “Make sure everyone takes this seriously, especially on Kauai because you can expect very heavy rain on Monday and it’s a holiday.”

While Lowell is forecast to just miss the islands, Green, who declared a state of emergency last week, said: “You never know if it’s going to turn around a little bit, so we’re not taking it for granted.

Hawaii has had a series of tropical and Kona storms since last winter, bringing torrential rains to the islands that prompted evacuations, power outages and devastating flooding. In August, Hurricane Lala drifted miles from making landfall on Hawaii Island, while Hurricane Fausto threatened it to the north in July. An unusually high number of five hurricanes or tropical storms have threatened the 50th US state in the past three months.

Just last week, it looked like Hurricane Karina would also threaten Hawaii from the north, but it began to break up about 620 miles east-northeast of Kilo, the hurricane center said.

Iniki made landfall in Hawaii and followed a similar path to Lowell, killing at least six people and causing $6.8 billion in damage, making it one of the 40 most destructive hurricanes in U.S. history, the National Center for Environmental Information said.

Lowell’s westward track means that its winds and worst rain will be driven straight into Hawaii as it passes. Up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain could fall on Kauai, with some areas receiving up to 14 inches.

The Big Island could get up to 12 inches in some places, while Maui and Oahu could get isolated spots of 8 inches, the hurricane center said.

“This may cause significant flash flooding and mudslides, particularly in Kauai County and parts of the Big Island,” Jack Beven, the center’s senior hurricane specialist, wrote in an analysis of the forecast.

Green said additional personnel, food and high water rescue vehicles were moved to Kauai ahead of the storm.

In addition to the rain, surf could reach 30 feet late Monday, said Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami, who also declared a state of emergency. The county opened five shelters in cooperation with the American Red Cross.

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