Hawaii News

Hurricane Lowell is the dominant statewide story, with multiple partner reports warning of worsening conditions for Kauaʻi County and the rest of the main Hawaiian Islands. Maui Now reports Lowell is forecast to turn north on Sunday and move close to Kauaʻi County Monday night as a category 2 to 3 hurricane, while Kauaʻi Now says tropical storm conditions are possible by late Monday or Monday night and that a hurricane watch may be needed later today. Big Island Now also says the storm is expected to bring 2 to 6 inches of rain to Hawaiʻi Island, with isolated totals up to 10 inches possible, and that a flood watch is in effect statewide from Sunday evening through Tuesday afternoon. Surf is already building across the islands, with high surf advisories in place or extended for south- and east-facing shores and, in some reports, west-facing shores as well. Several beaches and other facilities on the Big Island are closed because of the swells from Lowell and Karina, and Kauaʻi Now says the surf advisory may be upgraded to a warning Sunday night into Monday.

On Kauaʻi, the approaching storm is already affecting community plans: the 2026 Kauaʻi Marathon and Half Marathon was canceled after organizers said alternate routes and reduced closures were not acceptable. Kauaʻi Now also reports the University of Hawaiʻi received a $2 million National Science Foundation award to develop artificial intelligence tools to protect food production systems, a separate statewide education and research development.

Maui coverage centers on preparedness and community response. The Maui community turned out for the Kōkua Hawaiʻi Island Donation Drive, but more donations are still needed to fill a shipping container headed to Hawaiʻi Island. Maui Now also reports the Maui Fire Department and partner organizations are training home wildfire assessors, and that the County of Maui is closing offices and services for Labor Day. Big Island Now separately reports Daniel K. Inouye Highway reopened after a closure between Old Saddle Road and Highway 190, though motorists had been told to avoid that stretch for several hours.