Hurricane Lala strengthened to a Category 1 storm on Saturday, bearing down on Hawaii’s Big Island with sustained winds of 75 mph and a forecast track that could bring landfall to the island, a scenario that has not occurred in 155 years.
The National Hurricane Center predicted that the storm's eyewall would move over or near the island’s southern end by Saturday evening, bringing intense winds and potentially life-threatening mudslides to higher elevations, including the Mauna Kea volcano, which could receive up to 25 inches of rain. Residents in mountainous areas, many living off the grid, have been urged to seek safe shelter.
Electricity has already been cut for 10% of customers on the Big Island, according to poweroutage.us. Local residents described busy gas stations as people stocked up on fuel for chain saws and vehicles, emphasizing a familiar sense of self-reliance. Governor Josh Green characterized the storm as “enormous,” warning of destructive flooding and the potential for wildfires to be ignited by strong winds across the island chain.
Tropical storm warnings have been issued for other Hawaiian islands, including Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Kauai, and Niihau. Forecasters anticipate 8 to 12 inches of rain across Maui and lower elevations of the Big Island, with 4 to 6 inches expected across the rest of the island chain.
State Representative Jeanné Kapela expressed concern for residents in the remote southern end of the Big Island, a region that is seeing population growth due to its affordability, urging those whose homes may not withstand hurricane-force winds to seek shelter with family or friends.
The storm's approach has heightened concerns about wildfires, particularly given the dry and breezy conditions expected outside the main storm bands. This fear is amplified by the memory of the 2023 wildfires that devastated Lahaina on Maui during a period of extreme winds as a hurricane passed far to the south. The island of Kauai was struck by Hurricane Iniki as a Category 4 storm in 1992, an El Nino year that caused $3 billion in damage and killed six people. Scientists note that El Nino years can increase hurricane activity in the Pacific.
Shelters have been opened, events have been canceled, and ranchers have been advised to move cattle out of structures that could collapse. Officials emphasize that significant destruction can occur even without direct landfall. Residents are urged to take the storm seriously and remain alert as conditions develop.