HAWAII — The National Weather Service Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu, issuing with the National Hurricane Center in Miami, stated at 9:00 p.m. UTC on September 4 (11:00 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time) that Hurricane Lowell remained a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, the one-to-five ranking of hurricane wind strength, with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour (240 kilometers per hour) and a minimum central pressure of 926 millibars.
Advisory 35 placed the eye near 13.2 north, 160.7 west, about 615 miles (985 kilometers) south of Lihue, Kauai, and about 590 miles (950 kilometers) south-southwest of Honolulu, moving west-southwest at 7 miles per hour (11 kilometers per hour).
No coastal hurricane watch or warning was in effect. The accompanying discussion said watches will likely be issued on Saturday and that heavy rain is expected to begin Sunday afternoon.
The same office’s Special Advisory 34 at 6:30 p.m. UTC on September 4 (8:30 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time) had placed the eye near 13.3 north, 160.4 west, about 610 miles (980 kilometers) south of Lihue and about 575 miles (930 kilometers) south-southwest of Honolulu, moving west at 8 miles per hour (13 kilometers per hour), with the same 150 mile per hour (240 kilometer per hour) winds and a 930 millibar pressure.
That earlier bulletin said watches could be required for portions of the westernmost Hawaiian Islands on Saturday.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green, M.D., signed a Proclamation Relating to September 2026 Tropical Cyclones on September 2 covering the entire state, and his office published the accompanying news release on September 3.
The order names Hurricane Lowell, Hurricane Karina, Tropical Storm Marie, and any additional storms that could affect the islands. The disaster emergency relief period began on signing and runs through November 1 unless ended or replaced by a later proclamation.
Green’s September 3 release said six high-water vehicles were being sent to Kauai and that Hawaii National Guard members will be activated ahead of possible storm effects.
The proclamation authorizes the Adjutant General to activate Guard units as needed to aid civilian authorities, activates the Major Disaster Fund, the state’s emergency spending account, and suspends the usual $10 million cap on spending for a single emergency.
The same release stated the proclamation does not order evacuations, a curfew, or closures of schools, businesses, or government offices. Any such steps, it said, would be announced separately by state or county authorities.
Green tied the timing to unfinished recovery from Tropical Cyclone Lala in mid-August. In a separate federal action on August 25, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that President Donald J. Trump had approved an emergency declaration for Hawaii County covering Hurricane Lala from August 14 to 16, with emergency protective measures limited to direct federal assistance at 75 percent federal funding.
