Hurricane Lowell lashes Hawaii, knocking out power to thousands as flood risk continues

September 8, 2026 / 5:27 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Damaging winds and heavy rains from Hurricane Lowell pelted Hawaii's western islands early Tuesday, knocking out power and bringing the threat of flash floods and mudslides.

Fierce winds downed trees and caused widespread power outages on the island of Kauai, home to 73,000 residents. The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative reported that nearly all of its members were without power early Tuesday. The small Kauai community of Hanalei had already recorded the highest rainfall totals so far, with 17.76 inches of rain.

According to utility tracker PowerOutage.us, about 50,400 customers were without power across all of Hawaii as of 11 a.m. local time Tuesday.

Emergency officials asked residents to stay off the roads as damage assessments were just beginning.

"As the light comes up and the extent of the damage from Hurricane Lowell comes into focus, we want to ensure that no additional emergency situations arise unnecessarily," said Elton Ushio, administrator of the local emergency management agency.

The center of the storm passed west of the islands early Tuesday and was moving away, but tropical storm-force winds extended well beyond, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. On Kauai, sustained winds measured just…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/healthwatch/