Niihau and Kauai are gearing up for high winds and soaking rains as Hurricane Lowell moves nearby. The storm ranks as a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, packing sustained winds around 125 mph, or 201 km/h.
Speaking from Miami, Robbie Berg, the National Hurricane Center's warning coordination meteorologist, warned that it is still uncertain whether Hawaii will take a direct hit from Lowell.
On Thursday, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green issued a state of emergency to position equipment and disaster personnel in advance of the storm's nearest approach late Monday night. "Our state is still recovering from Lala," he said, referencing the August event in which two people died and more than 250,000 homes and businesses on the Big Island and Oahu lost electricity. "We are not waiting for another storm to get close before preparing."
A separate system, Hurricane Marie, is forecast to bring 8-foot waves and hazardous rip currents to the Los Angeles area through Tuesday evening. The National Weather Service highlighted south-facing beaches such as Malibu, Long Beach, and Point Mugu as the most exposed. "There is an increased risk of ocean drowning," the agency warned Thursday. "Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks."
Flooding looks unlikely, but light showers are possible for Los Angeles County and neighboring areas over the weekend. NWS meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld cautioned that crash risk can rise when rain follows a long dry spell: "With built-up oil on the roads, the traction can get pretty bad with that first rain," Schoenfeld said.
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In addition to Lowell and Marie, Karina is on the hurricane center's watch list in the north Pacific, with forecasts pointing to near-term weakening. Berg noted that a new system forming in the vicinity of Mexico could further boost the substantial storm energy the north Pacific has produced this season. "It just seems like it's one storm after another out there because of the atmospheric conditions and the water being pretty warm," he said. "For an El Niño year, this is what we would expect."
Build in wiggle room, keep tabs on local alerts, and let the weather guide the timetable.
