Hawaii bracing for severe weather as Hurricane Lowell set to pass by
Hurricane Lowell reached Category 5 strength on Wednesday. (FOX Weather)
People in Hawaii are bracing for another round of severe weather as Hurricane Lowell spins past the islands. The major Category 3 cyclone could bring heavy rains, flooding, and mudslides, as it cuts a path west of the state, the National Hurricane Center stated while issuing a tropical storm warning for two islands.
Big picture view:
The warning spans Kauai and Niihau, where rainfall is expected to range between six and ten inches, with some spots possibly seeing more than a foot, as the northbound Lowell sweeps west of the islands late Monday and into Tuesday, meteorologists predicted. On the Big Island, forecasters projected four to eight inches of rain, and up to a foot in some areas.
By the numbers:
On Sunday, Lowell sat about 565 miles southwest of Honolulu and was moving north at a rate of six miles per hour while carrying maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. Hurricane-force winds stretched 50 miles from Lowell’s center, and they were still blowing at tropical storm strength 175 miles from the heart of the storm.
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Why you should care:
The National Hurricane Center warned that the coming rains could trigger flash floods or mudslides. It estimated that the storm surge and tides will combine to cause normally dry areas of Kauai to be covered by three feet of floodwater.
What's next:
The Kauai Emergency Management Agency has urged people to fill their gas tanks, charge their devices, refill any prescriptions, and have enough food and water to weather the storm. It recommended having enough supplies to stay home for several days, if necessary.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from The Associated Press and the National Hurricane Center. This story was reported from Orlando.