Hawaii Prepares for Hurricane Lowell as Tropical Storm Warning Issued for Kauai and Niihau

LIHUE, Hawaii -- Officials in Hawaii urged residents and visitors to prepare for heavy rains, flooding and possibly mudslides as Hurricane Lowell, a major Category 3 storm, prompted the National Hurricane Center to issue a tropical storm warning for two islands on Sunday.

The Miami-based center issued the warning for Kauai and Niihau as Lowell was forecast to pass the islands to the west late Monday and Tuesday while traveling north. Forecasters said rainfall totals of 6-10 inches (15-25 centimeters), with maximum totals of 14 inches (36 centimeters), were possible.

Hawaii's Big Island is expected to see 4-8 inches (10-20 centimeters) of rain, with some areas getting as much as 12 inches (30 centimeters).

Lowell had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph) and was located about 545 miles (880 kilometers) south-southwest of Lihue, or about 565 miles (915 kilometers) southwest of Honolulu. It was moving north at 6 mph (9 kph), the hurricane center said.

Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 50 miles (85 kilometers) from the center, and tropical storm-force winds extended outward up to 175 miles (280 kilometers), the center said.

The rainfall could produce significant flash flooding and mudslides, the center said. A combination of storm surge and tides will likely cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters of up to 3 feet (1 meter) on Kauai.

The Kauai Emergency Management Agency urged residents to fill gas tanks, charge devices, refill prescriptions and have enough water and food ahead of the storm. It also said residents should be prepared to stay home for several days.

In Lihue, a town of 8,000 with Kauai’s primary airport, residents were stocking up on food and water as supermarket shelves emptied.

Real estate agent Lori Benkert bought an extra 10-pound (4.5-kilogram) container of propane so that she can cook on the barbecue if power shuts off. Benkert manages dozens of properties in Kauai and has boarded up two houses on the western side of the island. “We’ll lose some power, probably have some trees, a bunch of tree limbs coming down,” Benkert said. “Everybody is probably going just to hunker down.”

Meanwhile, Hurricane Marie created dangerous surf conditions along the coast of Mexico's Baja California and Southern California. The Category 1 storm was located about 695 miles (1,120 kilometers) south-southwest of San Diego with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph). Forecasters said Marie was moving northwest at 7 mph (11 kph).

Although no coastal watches or warnings were in effect, swells generated by Marie will continue to affect portions of southwest Mexico, the Baja California peninsula and Southern California for the next few days, the hurricane center said. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

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Associated Press writers Wufei Yu in Phoenix and David Fischer in Miami contributed to this report.