Hawaii declares state of emergency as Hurricane Lowell approaches islands
Storm, which may make impact as soon as Monday, is third system in weeks to threaten state during hurricane season
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Read the original articleThe Guardian · theguardian.comOur verdict
Political lean
0 = center. The further from 0, the stronger the lean (max 10).
Reporting balance
How complete and even-handed the reporting is — separate from which side it leans.
This is a mostly neutral, well-sourced news report with no clear left-right slant, using official forecasts and damage figures with attribution and base-rate context. Its main weaknesses are narrow sourcing (no Hawaii emergency officials or residents) and an unattributed causal claim linking storms to the 'climate crisis'. Readers should note that the most dangerous winds are forecast to stay offshore, and should consult Hawaii emergency management for practical guidance.
- Why this lean
- The story has no partisan left-right angle. Its only political-adjacent element is an unattributed assertion that the 'climate crisis' is increasing storm intensity and frequency. That framing is stated as fact rather than attributed to a source, which gives a slight environmental slant, but it does not favour a party. Sourcing is agency-based and attributed, so the lean stays close to centre.
- Framing
- The story is told from an official and forecasting perspective, treating the storm's threat to Hawaii and the unusual Pacific activity as the central question, with climate change as background.
Confidence: Medium — The text is a capture that includes unrelated 'Most viewed' items with dates later than the article, so it may be a later snapshot. The core story and quotes are complete, but the assessment relies on the text as provided and does not verify the forecasts or El Niño figures against the agencies.
Key Findings
- 1Sourcing is narrow: the governor, NHC, WMO and NOAA are the only voices. The article has no local emergency managers, residents or independent scientists, so the story reflects official forecasts and not the views of those affected.
- 2The headline 'Hawaii declares state of emergency as Hurricane Lowell approaches islands' is accurate, but the body says 'Lowell's projected offshore path is expected to keep the storm's most dangerous winds away from Hawaii's islands.' That qualifier is absent from the headline and the lede.
- 3The article presents the climate link as settled fact: 'Lowell is the third storm in a matter of weeks to hit Hawaii as the climate crisis continues to increase the intensity and frequency of storms and other weather events.' No source is cited for this causal claim, and no scientist is quoted.
- 4The data is well sourced and benchmarked. The NHC's eight-hurricanes-a-year average gives context for the 'highly unusual' triple-hurricane stretch, and Lala's damage figures are attributed to the governor.
- 5The El Niño section juxtaposes timeframes without reconciling them: the UN says 'the strongest on record in four decades', while NOAA gives a 69% chance of 'the strongest in 70 years'. A reader could be confused about what is being claimed.
Who gets a voice
- Josh GreenGovernor of Hawaii; gives damage figures from Tropical Storm LalaState governmentMain voice
- National Hurricane Center (NHC)Source of the forecast track, intensity and Pacific hurricane averagesOfficial weather forecastingMain voice
- World Meteorological Organization (WMO)Issued a statement on El Niño, quoted directlyInternational climate and weather agencyMain voice
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)Earlier warning of a 69% chance of the strongest El Niño in 70 yearsUS federal climate agencyMinor voice
Loaded language
'Powerful' adds intensity to the lede, although the body says the most dangerous winds will stay offshore.
Describes the activity as unusual without giving a comparison in the same sentence. The NHC base rate appears later.
Strong wording that the article supports only later in the text, with the base rate.
The link between climate change and storm frequency is stated as fact with no scientist or agency cited.
Dimension Breakdown
Almost all sourcing comes from agencies and officials (NHC, NOAA, WMO, the governor). No local emergency managers, residents or independent experts are quoted, so the story is single-channel in its voices.
Mostly plain, attributed wording, but 'powerful Hurricane Lowell' and 'the climate crisis' are emotive, and the causal climate claim is unattributed.
Numbers are sourced and given comparisons: the NHC base rate of eight Pacific hurricanes a year, Lowell's wind speed and track, and Lala's damage figures. The El Niño probabilities are presented without reconciling the 'four decades' and '70 years' timeframes.
Hawaii residents, county and state emergency managers, and any scientist who questions or qualifies the climate attribution are absent, so the story lacks the people who face the threat.
The state of emergency is accurate. The headline does not mention that the body says Lowell's most dangerous winds are expected to stay offshore, which makes the threat look more immediate than the forecast suggests.
The article gives the base rate for Pacific hurricanes and the earlier storms, which helps. It does not explain what a state of emergency triggers, what residents should do, or how forecast uncertainty affects the track.
Missing Perspectives
- Hawaii emergency management or county officials, who could explain what the state of emergency triggers, what preparations are advised, and how forecast uncertainty affects the track.
- Residents or businesses on Kauai, Ni'ihau or the Big Island, whose experience would show how the threat is felt on the ground.
- A scientist or meteorologist who can explain how confident the research is that climate change is driving the increase in storm frequency and intensity, and where that link is less certain.
Highlighted Passages
“Lowell is the third storm in a matter of weeks to hit Hawaii as the climate crisis continues to increase the intensity and frequency of storms and other weather events.”
“The threat comes amid unusually intense hurricane activity across the Pacific.”
“Lowell's projected offshore path is expected to keep the storm's most dangerous winds away from Hawaii's islands.”
Key Facts
- According to the article, Hawaii has declared a state of emergency as Hurricane Lowell approaches, with impacts expected as soon as Monday.
- According to the forecast, Lowell was a category 3 hurricane with 125 mph winds early on Sunday and is expected to reach Hawaii as a category 2 hurricane.
- A tropical storm warning is in effect for Kauai and Ni'ihau, with wind gusts above 39 mph possible over 48 hours.
- According to the National Hurricane Center, the Pacific averages only eight hurricanes a year, so three simultaneous hurricanes are highly unusual.
- Governor Josh Green said Tropical Storm Lala alone caused at least $43m in infrastructure damage on the Big Island and $4.6m in damage to homes.
- According to the WMO statement, the latest data show a near 100% likelihood that the El Niño will continue through February 2027.
- NOAA has previously warned there is a 69% chance this El Niño will be the strongest in 70 years.