ReportHurricane Lowell Never Made Landfall — and Still Tore Up KauaiAired September 10, 2026 at 6:45 AM UTCWritten September 10, 2026 at 6:47 AM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Hurricane Lowell never touched land, and it still tore homes off their foundations0:03on Kauai.0:04The storm's center stayed roughly 40 miles west of Nihau, but its western edge alone0:09knocked out power to 90% of the island, buried a resort's first floor in sand, and0:14pushed the damage estimate above $400 million.0:17The storm has moved off, the shoreline assessment is far from finished, so what does0:21the destruction actually add up to?0:23The over 100 miles per hour figure described the storm's winds over open water or a0:28pre-storm forecast for the western mountain slopes.0:31It was never a verified reading on any island.0:33On land, the highest officially measured gust was 92 miles per hour at Puolua,0:383,273 feet up, at 11.35 on the night of September 7th.0:43Nawali Willi gusted to 87, Waimea to 85, Barking Sands and Lihu Airport to0:4984.0:50Sustained winds at Lihu Airport ran about 53 to 59.0:53The center passed about 40 miles west of Nihau, close enough that Kauai and Nihau0:58sat inside the storm's right front quadrant.1:01where the most destructive winds and surge ride.1:03Oahu, farther east, caught a lighter blow.1:06What the storm lacked in wind, it made up in water.1:09South facing Kauai shores saw surf of twenty to thirty feet.1:12Waves topping twenty five feet demolished homes and carried cars away in Poipu, and1:16riding a high tide and a one to three foot storm surge, the combination, not any1:20single ingredient, is what destroyed so much.1:22The first floor of the Sheraton Kauai Resort was buried in sand along Huna Road near1:27Baby Beach.1:28Homes were pushed off their foundations or destroyed, one lifted clear, split in1:31two, part of the structure thrown across the street.1:34One witness counted five or six homes destroyed on a single street.1:37Cars were carried across a resort parking lot.1:39Port Allen's small boat harbor took extensive pier and vessel damage, and the State1:44had to clear rocks off Kamualiai Highway in Kekaha.1:48Rain piled on to the island's wetter slopes.1:50Wayneha collected nineteen point eight nine inches.1:53Kilahana saw about twenty, and Mount Waialale and Mohihi crossing fifteen to1:58eighteen.1:59Lower elevations and the other islands mostly saw four to ten inches.2:02So the figure quoted as nearly a foot and a half describes the Kauai peaks, not a2:06statewide average.2:07The rain drove flash flooding and mudslides mostly on Kauai, and that threat isn't2:11over.2:12Two people died on Kauai.2:14A 74-year-old man from Kalaheao was found dead on the morning of September 9th along2:18the shoreline fronting Nomilu Fish Pond between Poipu and Eliel.2:22Officials say the death appears related to storm surge.2:25An autopsy is pending, and foul play isn't suspected.2:28He'd been reported missing the day before.2:30On Oahu, a man living at Sherwood Beach in Waimanala was killed when a large tree2:34fell on his campsite.2:35Police are treating it as an unattended death with no foul play suspected.2:39At least one more injury has been reported on Kauai.2:42The grid took the heaviest hit.2:43The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative lost power to roughly 90 to 92 percent of its2:48customers.2:49By late Wednesday, crews had restored about a quarter, roughly 9,000 customers, with2:53hospitals the priority and most of those back online.2:56Isolated north shore and far west areas may wait days to a few weeks.3:00Mutual aid crews started arriving Thursday.3:02On Oahu, outages peaked near 21,000 and were nearly fully restored by Wednesday,3:08with only a few hundred still dark.3:15Governor Greene toured Kauai on Wednesday and put the initial damage estimate for3:19the island above $400 million, more than Hurricane Lala earlier this year.3:24He issued a statewide state of emergency back on September 3rd, before the storm3:28arrived, activating the National Guard and the Major Disaster Fund through November3:321st.3:32That same day, he sent an expedited request to President Trump for a presidential3:36major disaster declaration for Kauai and Maui counties, seeking to skip the usual3:41joint preliminary damage assessment.3:43It had not been approved as of this morning.3:45The state's first tornado watch went out the afternoon of the 7th, in effect3:49overnight, with warnings following.3:51As of Tuesday, none had been officially confirmed, though one account suggested a3:54possible brief tornado near Kaloa.3:56The heaviest damage came in a single passing, and recovery has been in uneven grind4:00ever since.4:01Lowell has already moved on.4:03By late Wednesday, it was about 610 miles northwest of Lihue, still packing 50 mile4:09per hour sustained winds, moving west and weakening.4:12No coastal watches or warnings remain for Hawaii.4:15The dangerous surf and rip currents that drove the surge peaked during closest4:18approach and lingered about a day after the center left.4:21By Wednesday and Thursday, the high surf warnings had expired or were winding down,4:25though elevated seas and rip current risk are still being flagged, and authorities4:29keep telling people to stay off the shoreline as cleanup begins.4:32One early account got the location of the worst damage wrong, placing the flattened4:36homes and the near-total power loss in a neighborhood called Po, on the island of4:40Hawaii.4:41The confirmed destruction and the 90% outage were on Kauai, along the Poipu4:46shoreline.4:46So what does the destruction add up to?4:48The governor's initial estimate for Kauai alone is above $400 million, and the4:53request for a federal disaster declaration is still pending.4:56The final number won't be known until the grid is restored and the shoreline4:59assessment is complete.5:01Two people are dead.5:0290% of one island went dark, and a hurricane that never touched Hawaii has become5:07one of the most consequential tropical cyclones to hit the state in decades.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗Related coverageBackgroundSep 27 06:05 UTCNearly a Foot of Rain Fell in Parts of Hawaiʻi Island. 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