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The National Hurricane Center reported that Lala strengthened into a category one hurricane with sustained winds near 80 miles per hour on Saturday and its eyewall began brushing the southern portion of the Big Island by late afternoon. A hurricane warning covered the Big Island while tropical storm warnings extended to Maui County along with Oahu, Kauai and Niihau, the center stated. Hawaii Governor Josh Green issued an emergency proclamation that activated approximately 180 Hawaii National Guard members to assist with rescue operations and permitted rapid use of a 100 million dollar disaster fund, an ABC News briefing detailed.
The Hawai’i Emergency Management Agency directed residents on the Big Island and in Maui County to complete all storm preparations and shelter in safe locations with emergency supplies while anticipating power outages and avoiding unnecessary travel on hazardous roads. High surf approaching 20 feet and a storm surge reaching three feet were expected to affect east and south facing shores with coastal erosion likely, the agency assessment found. Up to 25 inches of rain could fall on the Big Island prompting life threatening flash flooding and mudslides especially in steep terrain areas, the National Weather Service indicated.
Flight operations faced major disruptions with 40 percent of flights grounded at Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport and 80 percent canceled at Hilo International Airport according to flight tracking services. Nearly 37,000 electricity customers lost power across the state by Saturday afternoon, poweroutage.us data showed. Meteorologist Jennifer Myers who lives in Hilo told the BBC that landslides had already cut off roads and falling trees downed power lines while the Wailuku River rose dramatically turning the bay red with sediment.
Hawaii County’s Civil Defense Agency confirmed that public shelters were open in every district on the Big Island and urged residents to focus on their sheltering plans after finishing storm ready preparations. The agency stated on X, “At this time, you should have completed your storm-ready preparations and focusing on your Sheltering Plan.” Local accounts described residents filling sandbags to protect homes and checking on store availability in the early hours as the storm advanced.
Governor Josh Green warned residents to brace for an incredible amount of water and posted on X that damaging winds, heavy rain, flash flooding and dangerous surf were possible across the state through the weekend. The last hurricane to make a direct landfall on the Big Island occurred 155 years ago according to the Associated Press while Hurricane Iniki struck Kauai as a category four system in 1992 causing six deaths and three billion dollars in damage, historical records show. NOAA historical tracks indicate only 11 hurricanes have passed within 70 miles of the main Hawaiian islands since satellite monitoring began in 1971.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that global oceans reached their hottest July temperatures on record last month with the joint second warmest July overall at 1.47 degrees Celsius above pre industrial levels partly due to developing El Niño conditions. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projected a 55 percent chance of a below normal Atlantic hurricane season for 2026 though Pacific basin dynamics differ. The National Hurricane Center forecast Lala to continue westward and potentially weaken to a tropical storm after affecting the islands with damaging winds and heavy rain persisting into Sunday across the smaller islands.
