Weather 
Hurricane Lowell, now a Category 2 storm, began battering western Hawaii on Monday with powerful winds, triggering a hurricane warning for the islands of Kauai and Niihau. The National Hurricane Center also issued a tropical storm warning for the island of Oahu as Lowell approached close to land.
The hurricane warning extends to parts of the vast Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, which covers almost 583,000 square miles of ocean and 10 of Hawaii’s islands. Lowell is expected to pass over portions of the national monument as it travels past the island chain.
Maps show Lowell’s forecast path
The Miami-based hurricane center forecasts that Lowell’s center will move just west of the main Hawaiian Islands, near Niihau, on Monday night, then slow down by early Wednesday after passing them.
Earlier Monday, Lowell had been a major Category 3 storm, but “gradual weakening is expected through Tuesday,” the center said, adding, “However, Lowell is forecast to remain a hurricane as it passes near the Hawaiian Islands.”
Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 70 miles from the storm’s center.
Lowell could bring huge amounts of rain to various islands, with forecasters estimating between 4 and 8 inches of rainfall for Kauai and, potentially, up to 24 inches in some areas. The Big Island could see 3 to 8 inches of rainfall, with up to 12 inches possible, while Oahu and Maui County could see 2 to 5 inches, with up to 10 inches possible depending on the location.
CBS News 
That rain could bring “significant” flash flooding and mudslides, especially in Kauai County and parts of Hawaii’s Big Island.
In addition, Lowell could hit Kauai County with a storm surge of up to 4 feet, according to the hurricane center, and bring “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions across many of the Hawaiian islands.” Up to a foot of storm surge could affect Oahu.
