According to the latest storm news from the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), Typhoon Lowell is expected to pass just west of Niihau Island on the evening of September 7 or early morning of September 8 (local time).
The NHC requests people to urgently complete preparations to protect lives and property before the storm makes landfall. Storm surges combined with tides may cause coastal areas in Kauai and Niihau, which are less affected, to become flooded.
Kauai Island is also facing the risk of flash floods. In Oahu, where Honolulu is located, local authorities have issued a tropical storm warning. Forecasts indicate that rainfall in Kauai could reach 15 - 25cm, while Oahu and Big Island could record 10 - 20cm.
At the time of the NHC's warning, Hurricane Lowell was about 570km southwest of Honolulu and moving north-northeast. The hurricane maintained maximum winds of 185km/h.
The NHC forecasts that Hurricane Lowell will gradually weaken on September 8, then turn northwest at the beginning of September 9, after passing through the Hawaiian archipelago.
Lowell quickly reached level 5 earlier this week before weakening to level 3.
Hawaii is still overcoming the consequences of Typhoon Lala last month. This storm swept through the southern area of Big Island, causing strong winds and flash floods.
Lowell is one of two storms currently operating in the Pacific Ocean, in the context of the very strong El Nino phenomenon warming up seawater. The other storm is tropical storm Marie, currently about 1,226km southwest of San Diego and moving west, far from the mainland.
El Nino is a warm phase of the natural climate cycle in the tropical Pacific region, belonging to the El Nino - Southern Oscillation (ENSO) system, which usually appears with a cycle of 2-7 years. ENSO tends to increase the probability of storm formation in the tropical Pacific region, while reducing the probability of storm formation in the Atlantic Ocean. Climate change is believed to increase the impact of El Nino on global weather.
