Hawaii's western islands hit by fierce winds and heavy rain ...

HONOLULU (AP) — Damaging winds and heavy rains from Hurricane Lowell were pelting Hawaii's western islands early Tuesday, bringing the threat of floods, mudslides and tornadoes. Along the Southern California coast, dangerous surf conditions kicked up by the remnants of Hurricane Marie were expected to stick around for several days. In Hawaii, the islands of Kauai and Niihau were under a hurricane warning Tuesday, while Oahu, the state's most populated island with close to 1 million residents, was under a tropical storm warning. Flooding and mudslides will be the biggest risk through the day, said Eric Blake, of the National Hurricane Center. The center of the storm passed west of the islands early Tuesday and was moving away, but tropical storm-force winds extended about 200 miles (320 kilometers), the National Hurricane Center said. On Kauai, sustained winds measured just above 50 mph (80 kph) at Lihue Airport. Some wind gusts reached 80 mph (130 kph), according to the hurricane center. But the force of the sustained winds had decreased by early Tuesday and the storm was expected to weaken in the coming days. Road crews were clearing sand and rocks from a major route along Oahu's western edge after floodwaters topped the highway, north of Honolulu.