Tropical Storm Lala left behind a muddy mess across Hawaii's main islands on Monday, following intense rainfall and flooding as it moved past.
Lala weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm on Sunday, moving west of the state without making landfall. The storm was forecast to become a hurricane again at sea, far from land, by Wednesday.
As of Monday, no coastal watches or warnings were in effect for Hawaii, with cleanup efforts anticipated. However, the National Hurricane Center warned that life-threatening surf and rip current conditions remained. The National Weather Service indicated that heavy rainfall, due to saturation, could still cause landslides, though winds were no longer considered a threat.
"There's no real looming hazards that we're facing now," said National Weather Service meteorologist Patrick Blood. "Lala's off to the west."
The Big Island's northeast coast, in Laupahoehoe, recorded the heaviest rainfall at 43.54 inches. The highest wind gusts, reaching 140 mph, were measured atop the Mauna Kea volcano. At lower elevations across the island chain, residents experienced tropical storm-force winds of 30 to 40 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph.
Authorities reported that the storm felled trees and power lines and caused significant flooding. On the Big Island, approximately 100 homes were swept from their foundations by floodwaters. Governor Josh Green stated Sunday that no deaths were believed to have occurred when the homes were washed away.