Daylight reveals utter devastation as powerful Lowell makes rare direct hit on Hawaii

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Damage left behind in Hawaii after Hurricane Lowell makes rare direct hit

🌀 THE AFTERMATH: FOX Weather Correspondent Katie Byrne continues her coverage from Koloa, Hawaii, where cleanup efforts are slowly underway after Hurricane Lowell impacted the state, and damage and debris litter communities.

THE TAKEAWAY

• Tropical Storm Lowell made a rare direct hit on Hawaii as a Category 2 hurricane on Monday night Hawaii time.
• FOX Weather Correspondent Katie Byrne, reported strong wind gusts, flash flooding and several feet of storm surge in Kōloa on Kaua'i early Tuesday.
• Lowell's center pulled away from Ni'ihau after the storm was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane.

HONOLULU — Powerful former Hurricane Lowell made a rare direct hit on Hawaii's western islands Monday night as rain and wind blasted the state, and thousands of customers are still without power on both Kaua'i and Oahu, the state's most populous island.

While the storm's center did not make landfall, the definition of a direct hit is when a hurricane passes within a distance that is up to twice the length between the center of the storm and the maximum winds, which in Lowell's case was 50 miles.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HURRICANE MAKING A DIRECT HIT AND LANDFALL?

Lowell was downgraded to a tropical storm late Tuesday night, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Damage reported on Maui as Hurricane Lowell impacts the Hawaiian Islands.

(Hawaii Department of Transportation / FOX Weather)

First daylight revealed utter devastation across the Hawaiian Islands. FOX Weather Storm Specialist Mike Seidel and Correspondent Katie Byrne reported the ground truth from Lihue, Kaua'i, as communities were slammed with devastating impacts.

WHAT DO HURRICANE AND TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS MEAN?

Hurricane Lowell Statistics.

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Lowell's center has pulled away from Ni'ihau after being downgraded to a Category 1 storm and then a tropical storm, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. It's moving north at 15 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

More than 60,000 customers were without power across Kaua'i and Oahu at the height of the storm early Tuesday, according to poweroutage.us, with a majority of residents in Kaua'i losing power in some capacity.

Hurricane Lowell impacts Hawaii.

(Getty Images)

The eastern side of Kaua'i saw the worst of Lowell's impacts, with wind gusts over 80 mph, including a top gust of 92 in Puu Lua.

TRACK LOWELL: PATH, FORECAST CONE, SPAGHETTI MODELS, WIND AND MORE

FOX Weather Correspondent Katie Byrne, reported strong wind gusts, flash flooding and several feet of storm surge in Kōloa on Kaua'i from late Monday night into early Tuesday morning.

FOX Weather Storm Specialist Mike Seidel reported early Tuesday that storm surge and high tide from the Pacific Ocean destroyed parts of the coastal roadway in Kōloa.

Video from Byrne's crew showed debris that was pushed into the first floor of a Kōloa hotel near the beach. Seawater swept cars parked in beachside parking lots into one another.

LATEST FROM FOX WEATHER HURRICANE SPECIALIST BRYAN NORCROSS

Storm surge damage from Hurricane Lowell in Koloa on Kaua'i on Tuesday, Sep. 8, 2026.

(FOX Weather / FOX Weather)

Sustained winds between 65 and 95 mph were recorded on Ni'ihau, early Tuesday.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a rare Tornado Watch for Kaua'i County as the storm bore down on the island. Officials said this was the first Tornado Watch issued in Hawaii's history.

Kaua'i's Emergency Management Agency administrator told Byrne that several roads around the island were impassable due to downed trees early Tuesday.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TROPICAL DEPRESSION, TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE?

Downed trees, flash flooding, as well as sand and debris closed parts of Farrington and Kalanianaole highways on Oahu.

Farrington Highway flooding on Oahu from Hurricane Lowell on Tuesday, Sep. 8, 2026.

(Hawaii Department of Transportation/Facebook / FOX Weather)

A voluntary evacuation notice was sent to people on oceanfront properties and 275 people were staying in shelters. The administrator said one hotel on the eastern part of the island closed and evacuated guests.

Early Tuesday, the agency asked people to shelter in place and evacuate only in the case of a life-threatening emergency.

MAJOR HURRICANE LOWELL COULD FOLLOW EERILY SIMILAR TRACK TO THE WORST HURRICANE IN HAWAII'S HISTORY

On Monday, Byrne said people on Kaua'i were told by government officials to have at least three days' worth of food and supplies. Officials also asked people in low-lying areas to have an evacuation plan in place.

Some people across the state boarded up their homes as a precaution.

Rain associated with Lowell triggered flash floods along the Kamehameha Highway north of Waikane in Oahu on Sunday afternoon.

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00:40

Watch: Hurricane Lowell Pounds Kaua'i With Intense Wind, Flash Flooding

🌀LOWELL BLASTS HAWAII: More than 60K customers are without power as the worst of Hurricane Lowell begins to bear down on Hawaii's western islands. FOX Weather is LIVE from Kaua'i with the latest hurricane coverage:

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green declared a state of emergency last Thursday in preparation for the storm.

Storm conditions have rapidly improved as Lowell quickly pulled away from the Hawaiian Islands.

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Distance of Hurricane Lowell's center to western Hawaiian Islands.

(FOX Weather)

Lowell was initially expected to pass farther west of Hawaii last week, but the storm's track continued to shift eastward through Monday morning, closer to Ni'ihau and Kaua'i, prompting the NHC to upgrade warnings on the western islands, as well as Oahu.

Lowell's center came within 30 miles of Ni'ihau and 60 miles of Kaua'i, about 10 to 15 miles closer than the forecasts issued as late as Monday afternoon indicated, the FOX Forecast Center said.

EL NIÑO CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN TO RECORD TERRITORY, INCREASED ODDS OF REACHING 'SUPER' STATUS BY YEAR'S END

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Life-threatening surf and waves between 20 and 30 feet impacted Hawaii's south and west-facing shores.

More than 16 inches of rain have fallen across the higher elevations of Kauai, and Oahu received more than 7 inches.

Flood Alerts were in place across the state through Tuesday evening.

HAWAII, UNITED STATES - 2 SEPTEMBER 2026: Satellite view shows Hurricane Lowell churning in the Central Pacific south of Hawaii’s Big Island, with a distinct eye and major hurricane strength. The storm’s northward trajectory placed the northern island of Kauai at risk of destructive winds, flooding rains, and hazardous surf. Imaged 2 September 2026. 

((Photo by Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2026) / Getty Images)

Lowell peaked as a Category 5 hurricane last Wednesday with winds up to 160 mph.

Lowell was the first Category 5 storm in the Central Pacific Basin since Walaka in October 2018.