Should You Cancel Your Trip to Hawaii? Hawaii Storm Updates
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Information as of Tuesday, October 15th, 2026
Erica and I are sharing updates for visitors to Hawaii as El Niño conditions in the Pacific continue to cause storms in the Hawaiian Islands. Below are updates on Hurricane Nolo, recovery from Hurricane Lowell on Kauai, and recovery from Hurricane Lala on the Big Island. Hurricane season ends on November 30th.
Our aim is to help prospective visitors know what to expect on the islands before their vacations. We also want to help them decide whether to cancel their trip, rebook, or continue as planned.
All Hawaiian Islands are open and welcoming to visitors. Below, we share what is closed and how to support local businesses. Mahalo for visiting Hawaii this fall!
Hurricane Nolo Update
The NOAA Hurricane Center, the best place for information on this storm, has canceled its tropical storm and hurricane watches for the Hawaiian Islands as of Sunday, September 27th. Hurricane Nolo has now passed west of the Hawaiian Islands.
The storm brought high surf and heavy rain to the Big Island and Maui. On Kauai, Hurricane Nolo brought 3″ to 6″ of rain. No major damage or landslides were reported.
Hurricane Nolo was the third hurricane to pass close to the Hawaiian Islands in one season, since they started tracking 100 years ago. This has been a crazy season for the islands. They are recovering quickly from Hurricane Lala (South Point of Hawaii) and Hurricane Lowell (Kauai). See below for details.
Should You Cancel or Change Your Trip to Kauai in October or November?
Kauai is open to visitors and welcomes them to help the recovery by supporting local businesses.
You will have a seamless vacation if you stay in or around the resort areas. But in late-October, you will find small parts of the island closed or not all tours running.
You can see what is open on Kauai on this community-organized website: openkauai.org.
Your trip to Kauai won’t be 100 percent what it was before Lowell, but you’ll still find value, relaxation, and the Kauai experience you were expecting.
Visiting Kauai is a great way to support local businesses as they recover from such a disruptive period.
“We are just coming out of Lowell, and messaging to visitors is maybe not how we feel on the island. We are open and very much want visitors on the island now as much as ever,” said Jon, the Director of Operations at Common Ground, on September 18th to us via email. Common Ground is a regenerative farm on Kauai’s North Shore that runs amazing farm-to-dinner experiences.
Kauai Travel Update is the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s official guidance for visitors. For more details from the state’s tourism office, if you have upcoming plans, see Hurricane Lowell.
A Note About Our Kaua’i Wayfinder Itinerary: We have updated our Kaua’i Wayfinder Itinerary to reflect what is open on Kaua’i. The Quick Hits and excursion days reflect what is open on Kaua’i.
Details on Visiting Kaua‘i in October 2026
My goal is to give visitors the status of Hawaii as it relates to a vacation. Tour operators and luau entertainers continue to lose revenue from the storms even when they bounce back quickly.
Hurricane Lowell caused the worst damage in Poipu, where surge water inundated homes and businesses along parts of the coast. The damage isn’t consistent across the Poipu area. Some places were relatively untouched, like the Grand Hyatt on Shipwreck Beach, while other locations were badly damaged, like the Sheraton Kauai on Kiahuna Beach.
See Beat of Hawaii’s tour of Poipu for details on visiting Poipu.
The North Shore past Hanalei is closed to those who don’t live in the area. They are repairing power lines, fixing bridges, and clearing debris. They were the last area to get water and power.
The East Side (Kapa’a Town) and the North Shore (Hanalei and Princeville) were not heavily damaged. Restaurants, stores, and other businesses are open.
In our experience tracking these storms and the recovery efforts, the islands recover fast. Especially the tourism infrastructure. This is reflected in the comment below from Kauai’s mayor.
On September 18th, Mayor Derek Kawakami encouraged visitors to participate in the Garden Isle’s recovery by supporting local businesses.
“Kaua‘i is welcoming visitors, and we are grateful for the support you bring to our local businesses and our economy. At the same time, our island is still in active recovery from Hurricane Lowell, and we are asking everyone who comes here to be part of that recovery. If you are here, the best way to help is to spend your money locally. Eat at our locally owned restaurants, shop at our boutiques and small shops, and book with local activity providers. Many of our small businesses are carrying this recovery on their own, and every dollar you spend with them makes a real difference.”
After past storms and the Lahaina Fire, local businesses and workers are eager to get back to work. Social media personalities may say the island is closed. Local sentiment often clashes with what people share on social media.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority provides this guidance to visitors with upcoming plans to Kaua’i:
If you plan to visit Kauaʻi, contact your accommodations directly to confirm conditions and available amenities, and check with providers to make sure your planned activities are available. Visitors should also understand that some areas of the island are still in recovery and restoration mode. Always check with your concierge or activity provider to ensure you are not entering an affected area.
Adjusting your plans, when appropriate, allows Kauaʻi to prioritize community needs while still enabling you to enjoy your Hawaiʻi vacation.
As the residents of Kauaʻi have long shared their aloha with visitors, we kindly ask that visitors embrace this same spirit — showing understanding, patience and respect for the process Kauaʻi’s communities are going through.
What’s Open, What’s Closed, What to Avoid
Damage in Poipu was hit-or-miss in severity. That is why it is important to check with your vacation rental host or hotel for information on what is open.
Hā’ena State Park and Ke’e Beach reopened October 15 for day use, but the Kalalau Trail is closed past the 2-mile point. Waimea Canyon and Koke’e State Parks are closed until further notice. Some Poipu properties are still repairing storm damage, so check with your hotel directly.
- Most hotels and restaurants are open on Kauaʻi
- The Sheraton Kauai is forecasting to reopen on November 1st.
- Napali Coast Tours from the West Side are on hold as they repair Port Allen Harbor and Kikiaola Harbor. Some tours have begun again. Our favorite, Holoholo Charters, is restarting tours on October 11th.
- Kapaʻa Town, Waimea, Hanalei, and Lihuʻe are open.
- Wailua River State Park: River and designated landing/trailhead access are open. Individual kayakers may not access Fern Grotto. Hiking beyond the t
Brown Water Warnings After Rains: Rains flush mud, dirt, and sometimes waste into the ocean. Brown Water Warnings will be issued after the rains. You can check the ocean brown water status here.
With two tides a day and currents, the water usually clears up in about three days.
Visiting the Big Island After Hurricane Lala
Hurricane Lala came close to the Big Island in mid-August. Heavy damage occurred to the town of Na’alehu. Avoid traveling to the South Point of the Big Island in September.
The rest of the Big Island is open and welcoming visitors.
We left Oahu two days early because of Hurricane Lala. Erica and the rest of Hawai’i had tracked the storm closely in the days leading up to our arrival. We left early because flights were filling up, and we weren’t sure how severe it would be.
The storm didn’t make landfall. But damage was done nonetheless.
The storm brought heavy rains and wind to Oahu, Maui, and Kauai. Trees and power lines were downed, but those islands fared well. Power has mostly been restored, and roads are open. The resort areas have power. Here are interactive island maps of power outages by HECO. Hawaiʻi Emergency Management is coordinating volunteers and posting county damage reports here.
As the storm skirted the southern portion of the archipelago, our dear friends on the Big Island took the brunt of Lala’s attack. Specifically, the southernmost city in America, Nāʻālehu Town, was devastated. Floodwaters ripped homes off their foundation, the town cemetery was uprooted, and two residents died.
Many of you know Nāʻālehu for the Punalu’u Bakery and Ka’u Coffee farms. Nāʻālehu is one of my favorite historical plantation towns on the island. We love to stop for malasadas, coffee, and food trucks on our way to Punalu’u Black Sand Beach and Volcanoes National Park.
We recommend avoiding Highway 11 through Nāʻālehu for the next month or longer as the town rebuilds and recovers. Route 11 is the southern route from Kona to Volcanoes National Park. The highway near town is currently closed to non-residents in South Point, and the county recommends that people avoid Kaʻu District in general.
We have updated our Big Island Wayfinder Itinerary to reflect this change.
We wish Nāʻālehu a fast recovery. Residents and restaurants have worked together over the past few weeks. Including Punalu’u Bakery opening a shipping container of sweet bread for residents.
Where to Find Information on What is Open in Hawaii
Here are the local news sources that we trust. I always recommend getting multiple opinions when trip planning, and “should you cancel your trip to Hawaii?” is no exception!
Erica and I have an unhealthy relationship with Hawaii. We dig into government websites, local news, books, and local residents’ YouTube videos to stay current on what it’s like to visit Hawaii.
These are the sources I refer to when checking my Hawaii itinerary or when a natural emergency occurs. We also have friends and tour operators on the islands who share their experience, as we no longer live on Maui.
Here are some of our trusted news sources for weather and local conditions.
- Hawaii News Now has the largest meteorological team, so I trust their forecasts for Oahu and the neighbor islands
- The Snorkel Store’s Snorkel Report is the best ocean condition report for Maui. Their report from soon after the March storms is below.
- The status of lifeguard beaches across Hawaii is found here: Hawaii Beach Safety
- Brown water advisories issued on each island
- Hawaii State Parks provides closure information in red at the top of its website. A great check to see if a park is closed, camping is closed, or if ‘Akaka Falls toilets are broken (yes, they are, but they have portable toilets)
- Haleakala and Volcanoes National Park also have closure information at the top of their websites
- Maui News Now for local news
- Big Island Now for local news
- Kauai’s Garden Island for local news
Final Thoughts
Bad weather, folks in distress, and property damage don’t feel good when you have your dream vacation planned.
My goal with this article was to provide informational sources to help you make the best decision for your trip.
Local businesses and workers are happy to have visitors come to Hawaii. We hope you have an amazing fall and winter trip to the islands.
Feel free to email us with any specific questions about your trip. Erica and I are at aloha@thehawaiivacationguide.com.
