Tropical Storm Lowell moved away from Hawaii early Wednesday after damaging winds and heavy rain battered the western islands, leaving most of Kauai without electricity, blocking roads and damaging parts of the coast. The Associated Press reported that the storm center passed west of the islands overnight Tuesday without making a direct hit, but its broad wind field still brought destructive conditions to communities on Kauai and Oahu.
The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative said nearly all of its roughly 35,000 members lost power early Tuesday. Kauai has about 73,000 residents, and Mayor Derek Kawakami said crews were using heavy machinery to clear fallen trees and debris from roads. Around 300 people remained in shelters while emergency teams began assessing the extent of the damage.
At Lihue Airport, Kauai's only commercial airport, sustained winds topped 50 mph, or 80 kph, and the airport closed after the storm. The National Hurricane Center said some gusts reached 80 mph, or 130 kph. Waves tore apart a section of road on Kauai's southern coast and pushed sand and lava rocks into a beach park, while downed trees and power lines restricted travel.
Oahu also recorded coastal flooding, with road crews clearing sand and rocks from a major route on the island's western edge. Governor Josh Green had closed schools and government offices on Kauai, Niihau and Oahu for Tuesday. Emergency officials asked residents to conserve water, avoid unnecessary travel and stay away from floodwater and shorelines while inspections and repairs continued.
The hurricane and tropical-storm warnings had been canceled by Tuesday morning as Lowell accelerated northward, but authorities stressed that the hazard had not ended. In its 5 p.m. Hawaii time advisory Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center downgraded Lowell to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, located about 310 miles north-northwest of Lihue, and said the flash-flood threat would persist through Wednesday.
Recovery will focus on restoring electricity, reopening transport links and checking homes and coastal infrastructure. Officials were also monitoring the possibility of additional flooding and mudslides from saturated ground. The episode demonstrates how a cyclone can cause extensive disruption even when its center stays offshore, and authorities said damage assessments would determine the scale and timing of the cleanup.
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