Hawaii has declared a state of emergency as Hurricane Lowell, a powerful Category 3 storm, bears down on the archipelago, with the first significant impacts expected as early as Monday. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has issued a tropical storm warning for Kauai and Niihau — the two westernmost inhabited islands of the Hawaiian chain — as Lowell is forecast to pass roughly 130 to 170 miles to their west between Monday evening and Tuesday morning. Though the storm's projected offshore track is expected to spare the islands from the most destructive winds, residents are being warned to brace for heavy rainfall, dangerous surf, coastal flooding and mudslides.

Lowell was carrying maximum sustained winds of around 120–125 miles per hour as of Sunday morning and is expected to arrive as a Category 2 hurricane. Rainfall totals of 6 to 10 inches are forecast for Kauai and Niihau, with isolated maximums of up to 14 inches possible, while the Big Island — Hawaii's largest landmass, located to the southeast — could receive up to 12 inches in some areas. Storm surge could raise coastal water levels by up to three feet on Kauai. Emergency management officials on the island urged residents to stock up on food, water and fuel, charge devices, refill prescriptions and prepare to remain at home for several days. In Lihue, Kauai's main town of around 8,000 residents, supermarket shelves were emptying as people rushed to prepare.

Lowell is the third storm in just over three weeks to threaten Hawaii. Tropical Storm Moke struck the southern islands two weeks ago, and before that, Hurricane Lala caused at least 43 million dollars in infrastructure damage on the Big Island alone, along with a further 4.6 million dollars in residential damage, according to Governor Josh Green. The current season has been extraordinarily active: as of Saturday, Hurricanes Karina, Lowell and Marie were simultaneously churning in the Pacific — the region's first triple-hurricane stretch in a decade. The NHC was also monitoring a fourth potential system developing off the Mexican coast. By comparison, the Pacific averages only eight hurricanes per year in total.

Scientists and forecasters are pointing to a combination of factors driving the unusual activity. The United Nations warned this week that the current El Niño climate pattern — a periodic warming of central and eastern Pacific Ocean surface temperatures that influences weather worldwide — is on track to become the strongest in four decades, describing it as being "supersized before our eyes." The UN statement noted that there is a near-100% likelihood the El Niño will persist through February 2027, and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has assessed a 69% chance it will prove the most powerful in 70 years. Stronger El Niño events significantly alter global rainfall and temperature patterns, and scientists note that the broader climate crisis is increasing both the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events like Lowell.