Published: 14:39 BST, 3 September 2026 | Updated: 17:18 BST, 3 September 2026
A monster hurricane in the Pacific has taken a sharp turn straight towards Hawaii, bringing life-threatening conditions to over a million people this Labor Day weekend.
Hurricane Lowell has been barreling through the Pacific just south of the Hawaiian islands, reaching Category 4 status with catastrophic winds of 145mph.
However, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) now projects that Lowell is turning north, and forecast models warn that the powerful cyclone will likely impact the islands of Kauai and O'ahu, home to Honolulu and more than one million residents and tourists.
NHC said in a statement: 'Lowell is expected to remain a major hurricane for the next several days.'
'Swells generated by Lowell are spreading northward and will affect portions of the Hawaiian Islands during the next several days. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.'
Spaghetti models, which track all possible paths of tropical storms and hurricanes, warn that Lowell will likely have the strongest impact on Kauai, the oldest and fourth-largest of Hawaii's main islands. Approximately 100,000 residents and vacationers are on the island on any given day.
However, multiple storm tracks also show the potentially devastating hurricane striking O'ahu, Maui and even the Big Island as well.
Several residents in the Hawaiian islands said on Wednesday that the storm's sudden shift caught them completely off guard, sending many scrambling for supplies as Lowell is set to become the third tropical cyclone to threaten the state in three weeks.
Hurricane Lowell is expected to turn and approach the Hawaiian Islands over Labor Day weekend
The National Hurricane Center has warned that Lowell is expected to remain a major Category 4 hurricane into next week
NHC has warned that wind from a Category 4 hurricane is powerful enough to cause severe damage to well-built homes, tearing off roofs and exterior walls.
'Most trees will be snapped or uprooted and power poles downed. Power outages will last weeks to possibly months,' the weather agency wrote.
AccuWeather forecasters expect Lowell to lose some of its power as it nears Hawaii around Monday night. However, the hurricane is still predicted to be a major Category 3 storm, with winds between 111 and 129 mph.
Waikiki resident David Gerson told Hawaii News Now: 'I’m totally not prepared. Because I didn’t think it would be much. The last I heard it was, I don’t even know if it was a Category 1.'
