Hurricane Hunters capture stunning views inside Hurricane Lowell’s eye

By Dean Murray

Hurricane Hunters have captured incredible views of the eye of the storm after flying into Hurricane Lowell.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) team has been gathering high-altitude data at 45,000 feet of the weather event in the last few days.

Data collected by the agency's high-flying meteorological stations help forecasters make accurate predictions during a hurricane.

The Hawai'i Emergency Management Agency warned Monday, Sept. 7, of heavy rain, flash floods, landslides and extreme surf for some islands in the region.

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They said the Category 2 event was located 135 miles southwest of LÄ«hu'e, Hawaii, sustaining 110 mph winds.

They reported: "Conditions are deteriorating in both Kaua'i County and on O'ahu, with several thousand customers reporting power outages. Winds will keep building overnight as Lowell moves north.

"Heavy rain, flash floods, landslides and extreme surf are likely overnight in Kaua'i County and possibly O'ahu. Tornadoes are possible in Kaua'i County."

The Hurricane Hunters are specialist teams from NOAA and the US Air Force Reserve that fly instrumented aircraft into tropical cyclones to collect vital observations for forecasters and researchers.

Lowell is tracking north-northeast and is expected to pass near or just west of Ni'ihau and Kaua'i before turning northwest and moving away from the Hawaiian Islands.