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Kauaʻi officials urged people to stay off the roads and conserve water Tuesday after the center of Hurricane Lowell just passed Niʻihau overnight, leaving major damages in its wake.

Kauaʻi and Niʻihau were no longer under a hurricane warning as of late Tuesday morning, while high surf conditions spread across the islands.

Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency chief Elton Ushio said early Tuesday that the county would send helicopters to assess damage once the sun had risen. With nearly all of the island in the dark, Oshio anticipated it would be a “huge restoration process” for Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative and the county to restore infrastructure across the island.

Ushio told KHON2 this morning that it was a “very, very busy night” as the agency’s incident command system “lit up like a Christmas tree.”

Kauaʻi Mayor Derek Kawakami signed an emergency proclamation for Lowell Saturday as the storm approached.

For many, Lowell’s path was a harrowing reminder of Hurricane ʻIniki in 1992 — a category 4 storm that caused an estimated $3 billion in damage. Like ʻIniki, Lowell had been passing south of Hawaiʻi but took an abrupt northward turn, heading toward the west end of the Main Hawaiian Islands.

Get the latest news on how the storm affects Hawaiʻi and more:

Kauaʻi residents can report home damage online.

Latest Hurricane Lowell Forecast, Map

The state was placed under flood watch through Tuesday as Lowell passed the islands, bringing bands of heavy rain, wind and thunder overnight, according to the National Weather Service forecast. Officials believed the threat of floods would decline as the storm moves further from the islands.

The storm began to weaken Tuesday but humid weather and intermittent showers were expected to remain through the week, with drier conditions returning in time for the weekend.

Tropical storm force winds were reported across Kauaʻi, with several areas seeing hurricane force winds. A tornado watch was canceled Tuesday for Kauaʻi and Niʻihau.

Another 2 to 4 inches of rain were possible on Kauaʻi, weather officials said early Tuesday. Officials expect the island could see a total of 24 inches of rain from Lowell.

Big Island may see another 3 to 6 inches of rain for a total of 8 inches. Flash flooding and mudslides are possible on Kauaʻi, Niʻihau and parts of Big Island.

Oʻahu and Maui may expect to see 1 to 3 more inches of rain for totals of 8 inches from Lowell.

Stay tuned to the National Hurricane Center for Lowell’s latest path map.

Major Kauaʻi Power Outages

Most on Kauaʻi lost power as of Tuesday morning as Lowell inched away from the island — roughly nine in 10 households, according to Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative.

About 3,000 residents in the Kōloa and ʻEleʻele remain connected, said Beth Amaro, Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative Member Services and Communications Manager.

The cooperative waited until sunrise to start assessing damage to utility lines on the island, including using a drone team that arrived from the mainland over the weekend, Amaro said. Once the initial damage assessment is complete, KIUC plans to release a more detailed plan on how it will restore power throughout the island.

Amaro said it was “unlikely for anybody to be restored today” but said it wasn’t impossible.

“We have to inspect, we have to repair, before we can restore,” she said.  “Hopefully by the end of the day we will be able to let people know: is it going to be days? Would it potentially be weeks? But we just don’t know at this point.”

Tens of thousands lost power on Oʻahu, too, according to the Hawaiian Electric Co. outage map.

Here’s where you can check to see the latest in your neighborhood:

• Kauaʻi power outage map from Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative
• Oʻahu power outage map from Hawaiian Electric Co.
• Big Island power outage map from Hawaiian Electric Co.
• Maui County power outage map from Hawaiian Electric Co.

Hawaiʻi School Closures

All schools on Oʻahu and Kauaʻi, along with Niʻihau High and Elementary, were closed on Tuesday because of Hurricane Lowell, the state education department announced Monday evening. The announcement came as Gov. Josh Green announced that state and county offices and judiciaries on Oʻahu and in Kauaʻi County will also close on Tuesday.

All University of Hawaiʻi campuses on Oʻahu, as well as Kauaʻi Community College, were also closed on Tuesday.

Kamehameha Schools was also closing its Kapālama campus, plus Oʻahu and Kauaʻi preschools and offices Tuesday, according to its website.

The DOE announced Tuesday morning that four public schools in Lahaina would be closed Tuesday due to unsafe travel conditions along Honoapiʻilani Highway in the Olowalu area following impacts from Hurricane Lowell.

So far, several Oʻahu schools have faced at least three days of canceled classes just a month into the new academic year because of the impacts of Hurricane Lala and Lowell. On Big Island, students at Nāʻālehu Elementary have yet to return to their campus because of damage from flooding and storm debris last month.

Closures because of dangerous weather conditions or storm damage have become more common over the past year. Last year, some Big Island and Oʻahu schools faced five or more days of closures following the damage from the Kona Low storms. On Big Island, Konawaena High School was forced to transition to online learning last spring as the campus dealt with the aftermath of the storm.

Road Closures

As of Tuesday morning, Kauaʻi County reported road closures in:

• Hanalei: Kūhiō Highway near the Hanalei Bridge
• Kekaha: Kaumuali‘i Highway between Kala and Akialoa Road; and at Maluhia Road

View a map of road closures statewide from the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation.

Kauaʻi Shelters

Kauaʻi County announced a number of closures Monday, including plans to shutter state and county offices on the island Tuesday.

About 300 people were staying in shelters across Kauaʻi Tuesday morning at the following locations:

• Kalāheo: Kalāheo Neighborhood Center (4480 Papalina Road)
• Kapaʻa: Kapaʻa Middle School (4867 Olohena Road)
• Kīlauea: Kīlauea Neighborhood Center (2460 Keneke St.)
• Līhuʻe: Kauaʻi High School Gym (3577 Lala Road)
• Waimea: Waimea Canyon Middle School (9555 Huakai Road)

Oʻahu Shelters and Closures

The City and County of Honolulu closed city offices and non-essential services Tuesday.

Residents can call 768-CITY (2489) as of 7 p.m. Friday for updates on the storm, shelters, services and more.

Honolulu opened a pet-friendly shelter at Nānākuli Elementary School (89-778 Haleakala Ave.) as a precautionary measure.

What Category Is Hurricane Lowell?

Hurricane Lowell was a category 2 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale as the storm neared Monday evening with sustained winds of 110 mph, teetering on the edge of a category 3. Category 2 hurricanes see sustained winds from 96 to 110 mph.

Lowell had slowed to a category 1 hurricane Tuesday morning.

What’s The Difference Between A Tropical Storm And A Hurricane?

A tropical storm is a cyclone with sustained winds ranging from 39 to 73 mph, according to the National Weather Service. A hurricane is a cyclone with winds higher than 74 mph.

While tropical cyclones can happen at any time during the year, Hawaiʻi’s peak hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

How Is A Hurricane Watch Different From A Warning?

Kauaʻi and Niʻihau are under a hurricane warning, which means hurricane conditions are expected in the area, according to the National Ocean Service.

A hurricane watch means those conditions are possible, and is typically issued within two days of the anticipated arrival of a storm with tropical-storm-force winds.

Sign Up For Emergency Alerts On Your Island

Use the following links to get updates from local officials:

• Kauaʻi emergency alerts
• Honolulu emergency alerts
• Big Island emergency alerts
• Maui County emergency alerts

Hawaiʻi Airport Flight Cancellations

The Līhuʻe airport closed Monday afternoon as Lowell neared.

For the latest, check your flight status:

• Līhuʻe airport flight status
• Hilo airport flight status
• Honolulu airport flight status
• Kahului airport flight status
• Kona airport flight status

Report Power Line Damage

If you see downed power lines, do not approach and report them:

• Oʻahu (Hawaiian Electric Co.): 1-855-304-1212
• Big Island (Hawaiian Electric Co.): 1-855-304-8181
• Maui (Hawaiian Electric Co.): 1-855-304-9191

Hawaiʻi Reservoir And Stream Levels

The University of Hawai‘i Sea Level Center monitors reservoirs on Kaua‘i, O‘ahu and Maui. On Kauaʻi, watch levels were observed at Alexander, Halenanahu, Mimino and Okinawa Reservoirs as of Tuesday morning.

The National Water Prediction Service provides data on streams and rivers across the state.