HECO Power Outage Update: 111,000 Customers Dark Across Hawaii as Kona Low Storm Hammers Islands
A powerful Kona Low storm is battering the Hawaiian Islands right now, knocking out power to more than 111,000 Hawaiian Electric customers across Oahu and triggering flood watches, school closings, and road closures statewide. HECO crews are working around the clock but warn some outages may last overnight or longer.
HECO Outage Map: 111,000 Customers Without Power on Oahu
The number of HECO power outages climbed to approximately 166 separate incidents impacting around 111,366 customers on Oahu as of 3:30 p.m. Friday. Hawaiian Electric is urging customers in Hawaii Kai and portions of East Honolulu to prepare for the possibility of extended outages lasting overnight or longer.
The largest single HECO outage — affecting 7,895 customers — began at 2:53 a.m. and covers Ala Moana, Diamond Head, Kaimuki, Kakaako, Kapahulu, Makiki, Manoa, McCully, Moiliili, Palolo, St. Louis Heights, Tantalus, and Waikiki. Additional outages affecting more than 1,100 customers each were reported in Kalihi Valley, Kamehameha Heights, Kaneohe, Liliha, Moanalua, Nuuanu, Ewa, Kapolei, and Makakilo.
A lightning strike destroyed a utility pole along an Oahu transmission line early Friday morning, compounding the damage from downed trees and flooding. Officials are advising the public to stay far away from any downed lines as they could still be energized and deadly.
Flood Watch Hawaii: Flash Flood Warnings Extended Statewide
The entire state of Hawaii remains under a flood watch. The watch extends through Saturday afternoon for Kauai, Saturday night for Oahu, and Sunday night for Maui County and Hawaii Island. Oahu is under an active flash flood advisory with rainfall rates of 0.5 to 1 inch per hour being reported by radar. On Maui, rain is falling at 1 to 2 inches per hour with landslides possible as the ground is already fully saturated.
A High Wind Warning remains in effect until 6 a.m. Sunday for Kauai County, Oahu, and Maui County with southwest winds of 30 to 40 mph and gusts up to 70 mph. A wind gust of 67 mph was recorded at the Mauna Kea Observatory on Hawaii Island. Damaging winds may continue to blow down trees and power lines and damage roofs through the weekend.
Hawaii School Closings: Oahu, Kauai and Maui Schools Shut Friday
All public schools and universities on Oahu, Kauai, and Maui counties closed Friday due to the severe Hawaii weather. Emergency shelters have been opened across Oahu and residents are urged to prepare for transportation disruptions and road closures as the Kona Low continues to move through.
Five Molokai schools — Molokai High, Molokai Middle, Kaunakakai, Kilohana, and Maunaloa Elementary — had already closed Thursday due to flooding ahead of the storm's main arrival.
HECO Storm Response and What You Can Expect
HECO spokesperson Darren Pai said crews were restoring power continuously through the night but the numbers remain fluid. "This is one of those situations where the numbers get to be very fluid — as we restore power in one area, the rain keeps coming and the wind keeps blowing," Pai said.
Hawaiian Electric confirmed the main causes of the HECO outages are fallen trees, broken branches blown into lines, lightning strikes, and flooding that makes field work dangerous. The utility said it does not anticipate activating its Public Safety Power Shutoff Program, despite false alerts circulating online claiming otherwise.
Hawaiian Electric Senior VP and Chief Operations Officer Jim Alberts said, "As long as it's safe, we'll be out there restoring power, and we'll work continuously after the storm clears until all customers have power again."
How to Report and Track Your HECO Power Outage
To track your HECO outage map status in real time, visit hawaiianelectric.com/outages or use the Hawaiian Electric mobile app, available free for Apple and Android. To report a downed power line, call the HECO 24/7 trouble line at 1-855-304-1212. For any life-threatening emergencies, always call 911 first. Follow @HwnElectric on X for live Oahu updates and @MauiElectric for Maui County outage news.
The Kona Low storm is expected to continue impacting all islands through the weekend with additional heavy rain and gusty winds forecast to persist through Sunday morning.
