Dangerous Hurricane Lowell passing just west of Hawaii

Hurricane Lowell was skirting western Hawaii very late Monday local time, bringing damaging winds, heavy rain and punishing waves, the National Hurricane Center said. It left tens of thousands of homes and businesses in the dark.

The Category 2 hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, just shy of the 111 mph that would make it a major Category 3.

Lowell had the potential of pouring up to two feet of rain on parts of the chain as well as producing “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions” and even some tornadoes, the Miami-based center said.

It issued a hurricane warning for Kauai County, which includes the islands of Kauai and Niihau, and a tropical storm warning for the island of Oahu.

The hurricane warning extends to a large swath of the vast Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, which covers almost 583,000 square miles of ocean and includes 10 of Hawaii’s islands.

“Lowell is expected to produce additional rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches for Kauai, with maximum storm totals of 24 inches possible,” the center noted. “For the Big Island, an additional 3 to 8 inches of rain is expected with isolated storm totals of 12 inches possible. For Oahu and Maui county, an additional 2 to 5 inches of rain is expected with isolated storm totals of 10 inches possible. This rainfall may produce significant flash flooding and mudslides, especially across Kauai County and portions of the Big Island.”