Hawaii has once again found itself watching a powerful hurricane pass close to its western islands. Hurricane Lowell briefly reached Category 5 strength in the open Pacific before weakening on its approach, but its passage is part of a remarkably active tropical season around Hawaii.
HONOLULU – Hawaii is once again watching a hurricane move past its shores. Hurricane Lowell has just swept west of the Hawaiian Islands, bringing damaging winds, heavy rain, powerful surf and a renewed reminder that the islands can find themselves in the path of major tropical cyclones even though direct hurricane strikes remain relatively uncommon.
Lowell’s closest approach came Monday night and early Tuesday, when the storm passed just west of Niihau and Kauai.
At about 11 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time on September 7, the hurricane was roughly 90 miles west of Lihue, on Kauai, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph. It was moving rapidly north-northeast at about 18 mph.
By Tuesday morning, Lowell was already pulling away from the islands and weakening quickly. The National Weather Service canceled all hurricane and tropical-storm warnings for Hawaii, although forecasters continued to warn about flash flooding.
For Hawaii, the immediate danger is easing. But the larger story is harder to ignore: 2026 has been an unusually active tropical cyclone season around the islands.
Lowell Went From a Tropical Storm to a Category 5 Hurricane
Lowell first appeared in the eastern Pacific more than 1,500 miles east-southeast of Hilo on August 27, when the National Hurricane Center classified it as a tropical storm with winds of 45 mph.
It initially moved generally westward across the Pacific, gradually strengthening as environmental conditions became more favorable.
By August 31, Lowell was already packing 70 mph winds and was forecast to intensify rapidly. The storm was then about 690 miles southeast of Hilo. The intensification that followed was extraordinary.
On September 2, NOAA’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center reported that Lowell had rapidly intensified into a Category 5 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph and a central pressure of 927 millibars. The storm was then roughly 445 miles south of Hilo.
After briefly weakening, Lowell reached Category 5 strength again on September 5, with winds estimated at 160 mph and a central pressure of 922 millibars.
The hurricane subsequently began to weaken and change direction. Forecasters were watching for a crucial northward turn that would eventually take Lowell past the western Hawaiian Islands.
Rather than crossing directly over the main Hawaiian Islands, Lowell curved northward and passed to the west of them.
Kauai Took the Closest Hit
Kauai and nearby Niihau were the islands most exposed to Lowell’s strongest winds. As the hurricane approached, the National Weather Service warned of damaging winds, heavy rainfall, dangerous surf and flash flooding.
A hurricane warning was issued for Kauai County and Niihau, while a tropical-storm warning covered portions of Oahu.
At Lowell’s closest approach, wind gusts of 50 to 80 mph were reported across parts of Kauai and Oahu, with local terrain capable of accelerating winds even further. The danger was not limited to wind.
Hawaii’s steep volcanic terrain makes the islands particularly vulnerable to flash flooding when tropical systems push large amounts of moisture into the mountains.
Rainfall can become intense over relatively short distances, with rivers, streams and normally quiet drainage channels responding rapidly. That is why the cancellation of hurricane warnings did not mean the danger had disappeared.
As Lowell moved north of the islands on Tuesday, the National Weather Service continued to warn about flash flooding even after all tropical cyclone watches and warnings had been canceled.
Hawaii Has Been Unusually Busy This Year
Lowell is not an isolated event. According to NOAA’s Central Pacific tropical cyclone summary, by September 8 the Central Pacific basin had recorded five named storms, four hurricanes and two major hurricanes in 2026.
That compares with long-term averages of roughly two named storms, one hurricane and no major hurricanes by this point in the season, according to NOAA’s 1991-2020 baseline.
The basin’s accumulated cyclone energy – a measure that captures both storm strength and duration – was about 309% above normal.
Those numbers make 2026 stand out. The storms included Lala, Moke, Lowell and other systems tracked through the Central and eastern Pacific.
Lowell itself accounted for a substantial share of the season’s accumulated energy because it remained exceptionally strong for an extended period.
Still, there is an important distinction between an unusually active season and a year in which Hawaii is repeatedly struck by hurricanes.
Most tropical cyclones passing through the Central Pacific never make a direct landfall on the main Hawaiian Islands.
The islands sit in an environment where many storms weaken, turn north, pass offshore or encounter atmospheric conditions that disrupt their circulation.
So the fact that several storms have come relatively close this year does not mean Hawaii has suddenly become a hurricane landfall hotspot. It does, however, make 2026 an unusually active year by Central Pacific standards.
Has Hawaii Been Stormier Than Florida This Year?
At first glance, Hawaii seems to have had more issues with tropical storms than Florida this year, but some context is still needed.
By early September, the Atlantic basin had also produced five named storms in 2026: Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly and Edouard.
But unlike the Central Pacific, those systems had not produced a comparable number of hurricanes by September 7.
NOAA’s Atlantic summary listed them all as tropical storms. That means the Central Pacific has been much more active than normal, while the Atlantic hurricane season has so far been relatively subdued in comparison.
That distinction matters because September is normally the heart of the Atlantic hurricane season.
NOAA’s climatology places the Atlantic season’s peak around September 10, with the greatest concentration of activity occurring from mid-August through mid-October.
In other words, Florida’s quieter start does not mean the Atlantic season is over. Far from it.
Why Can Hawaii Get Major Hurricanes When Most People Think of It as Too Far West?
Hawaii’s position in the central Pacific puts it in a complicated part of the tropical cyclone environment.
The islands are far enough east to occasionally encounter storms coming across the eastern Pacific, but they are also surrounded by a vast ocean in which tropical cyclones can develop and intensify over thousands of miles.
The biggest obstacle for a hurricane approaching Hawaii is often not distance. It is the environment.
Vertical wind shear, dry air, cooler water and changes in steering winds can all weaken a storm or push it away from the islands.
Conversely, when atmospheric conditions line up and ocean temperatures remain sufficiently warm, a storm can intensify dramatically.
Lowell demonstrated both sides of that equation. It strengthened explosively over the open Pacific, reaching Category 5 intensity, but then weakened substantially as it approached Hawaii and encountered changing environmental conditions.
By Tuesday morning, its maximum sustained winds had fallen to around 90 mph, and NOAA said the storm was weakening rapidly as its center moved north of the islands.
The Ocean Gives Hurricanes Their Fuel
A hurricane is essentially a heat engine. It draws energy from warm ocean water, with evaporation transferring heat and moisture from the sea into the atmosphere.
When that moist air rises and condenses inside the storm, it releases heat, helping maintain the deep convection that powers the cyclone.
That is why ocean temperature is one of the most important ingredients in tropical cyclone development. But it is not the only one.
A hurricane can weaken over very warm water if strong winds aloft tear its circulation apart. It can also struggle if dry air becomes entrained into the storm or if its inner structure becomes disrupted.
Lowell’s rapid strengthening and subsequent weakening are therefore a useful illustration of how quickly hurricane intensity can change.
A Near Miss Can Still Be a Serious Event
For Hawaii, Lowell’s passage was a near miss in the most literal sense: the eye stayed offshore. That does not make the storm harmless.
A hurricane’s most dangerous conditions are not confined to the exact location of its center. Strong winds can extend outward for many miles, while heavy rainbands can produce flooding well away from the eyewall.
And waves generated by a powerful hurricane can affect coastlines even when the storm itself remains offshore.
The National Weather Service warned that Lowell could produce damaging surf and flooding across portions of the islands, while wind gusts of hurricane strength were possible in exposed areas.
For Kauai, that meant the storm was close enough to produce significant impacts without the eye ever crossing the island.
That distinction is particularly important for Hawaii, where rugged terrain and narrow coastal communities can magnify the effects of heavy rainfall and high surf.
The Bigger Question Is Whether This Is a New Normal
It would be tempting to look at Lowell, Lala, Moke and the other storms of 2026 and conclude that Hawaii is entering a new era of hurricanes.
Scientists would be much more cautious. One unusually active season cannot establish a long-term climate trend.
Tropical cyclone activity naturally varies from year to year, and the Central Pacific is a relatively small part of the ocean in which a handful of storms can dramatically change the statistics of an entire season.
What can be said with confidence is that 2026 has been exceptionally active in the Central Pacific compared with its recent historical baseline.
NOAA’s figures make that unusually clear: four hurricanes and two major hurricanes by early September, with accumulated cyclone energy more than three times the 1991-2020 average. Whether that pattern persists in future years is a separate question.
For now, Hawaii has another reminder of the peculiar reality of living in the middle of the Pacific: the ocean that surrounds the islands can look calm for months, while hundreds of miles away a tropical disturbance can suddenly organize into a major hurricane.
Lowell crossed that distance in less than two weeks. It became one of the strongest storms ever observed in the Central Pacific this season, passed within roughly 90 miles of Kauai, battered parts of the islands with strong winds and heavy rain, and then moved north into the open Pacific.
The warnings are now gone. But the 2026 hurricane season around Hawaii has already made its point. The islands may not be directly in the path of most Pacific hurricanes. But this year, the storms have been coming close often enough to make people pay attention.
