Hurricane Lowell lashes Hawaii's western islands

A second hurricane has recently passed close to Hawaii, but the islands are not accustomed to sustained hurricane damage. In September 2026, Hurricane Lowell brushed the western side of Kauai, bringing heavy rainfall, high surf, and hurricane-force wind gusts. The storm knocked out power and flooded roads, with tropical storm conditions extending as far as Honolulu on the island of Oahu.

This marks the second hurricane to impact Hawaii in a single year, following Hurricane Marie, which sent big waves to Southern California.

Typically, Hawaii is spared from significant hurricane damage despite its tropical location. Two factors contribute to this rarity: Hawaii's small size in a vast ocean and the ocean itself forming a natural shield. The cooler ocean temperatures to the east of Hawaii, where most storms approach, weaken and dissipate hurricanes before they reach the islands.

In 2026, Hurricane Lowell followed a different path, tracking south of the islands and then turning north or northwest to impact the state. This is atypical for storms approaching Hawaii from the east, as they usually battle the cooler ocean temperatures before reaching the islands.

In the eastern and central Pacific, the most common path for tropical storms is a straight line toward the west, driven by the Hawaiian High or subtropical ridge, a semipermanent high-pressure system northeast of Hawaii. As such, the unusual path of Hurricane Lowell this year highlights how some factors have kept the islands' protective force field down.