Hurricane Lowell was moving near the western portion of Hawaii late Monday night, local time, causing strong winds, heavy rains, and large waves across the American archipelago. Tens of thousands of homes were left without electricity during the storm's passage, according to local authorities.
Classified as a category 2 hurricane, Lowell had sustained maximum winds of 177 km/h, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC). The speed is just 1 km/h below the 178 km/h threshold required for the phenomenon to be classified as category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
In addition to the winds, the main concern of authorities is the amount of rain forecasted for the region. The storm brought with it the risk of significant flooding for the archipelago.
The hurricane directly affected the local population, leaving thousands of homes without electricity and forcing authorities to closely monitor the evolution of the meteorological phenomenon approaching Hawaiian territory.
