Lala weakens to tropical storm, brings heavy rain, wind, flooding to Hawaii

Lala has weakened to a tropical storm, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), after it earlier had strengthened to Category 1 hurricane strength.

The storm continued to churn near Hawaii early Sunday, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, bringing with it heavy flooding rain and damaging wind as it bore down on the state’s Big Island.

By late Saturday evening in Hawaii, the NWS issued a flash flood emergency for parts of the Big Island for life-threatening flash flooding. This includes Naalegu, Pahala and Hawaiian Ocean View.

Rain was falling at a rate of 3 to 5 inches per hour in some areas, according to the NWS.

Local law enforcement reported 2 homes were swept away due to the intense rainfall over Naalehu. This is a “particularly dangerous situation,” with residents urged to seek higher ground, officials said.

Rainfall totals from the past 36 hours have surpassed 1 to 2 feet in spots on most of the windward side of the Big Island. Some isolated stations have even reported rainfall totals as high as 35 inches.

As of 5 a.m. ET, there were more than 126,000 customers reported without power across Hawaii, with the majority in Hawaii County, according to PowerOutage.us, a utilities tracker.

The storm at that hour had been churning about 65 miles west of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, or 130 miles south-southeast of Honolulu, and is tracking NW at 15 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Lala remains a Category 1 Hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.

Hurricane warnings remained up for Hawaii County — the Big Island — while tropical storm warnings remained up for Maui, Oahu and Kauai Counties. These include the islands of Maui, Lanai, Molokai, Kahoolawe, Kauai and Niihau.

There is also a flash flood emergency ongoing for parts of the Big Island for ongoing life-threatening flash flooding. Local law enforcement reports that two homes were swept away due to the intense rainfall over Naalehu.

More rain and damaging winds were expected to persist across the Big Island through the night and spread westward across the smaller islands on Sunday, according to the NHC.

Flood watches are also in effect across the Hawaiian Islands for heavy rain that will continue ramping up on Saturday.

As of 10:30 ET on Saturday, more than 44,000 customers across Hawaii had been without power, including more than 32,000 customers on the Big Island, according to Hawaiian Electric.

The power company said at that time that residents should plan for possible extended outages, pointing to wind gusts of upward of 60 mph. The power company said trees and debris blown into power lines was the primary cause of the current outages.

Over 200 flights were canceled on Saturday across Hawaii as Lala approaches, according to FlightAware. Norwegian Cruise Line said some of its cruise itineraries will be impacted.

As of 11 p.m. ET, Lala’s eyewall — the band of clouds surrounding the hurricane’s eye — had been “brushing” the southern portion of the Big Island, the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm at that time had had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph and was moving to the northwest at 9 mph, with its center located about 30 miles south-southeast of South Point, Hawaii, according to the NHC.

Hawaii braces for storm

At a press briefing on Friday, Hawaii officials urged residents to prepare for heavy rain, damaging winds and flooding.

“This is a serious moment,” Gov. Josh Green said Friday during the briefing with state, county and federal emergency officials.

About 180 Hawaii National Guard members were activated and positioned across the state to support rescue operations. High-water vehicles were also placed in each county, and additional military and federal resources were available if needed.

Green signed an emergency proclamation allowing the state to quickly use resources from a $100 million disaster fund.

Schools and state education offices on Hawaii Island, Maui, Lanai and Molokai were closing for the weekend, with events canceled.

Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda said shelters would be open and would accept pets. Beaches, parks, landfills and transfer stations were closing through Saturday, and mass transit service was being suspended.

Latest forecast

Lala will begin to interact with the Big Island’s high terrain and is forecasted to turn slightly north and track northwest to make a closer approach to the Big Island before turning back west and remaining south of the remaining Hawaiian islands.

Regardless of whether Lala makes landfall or passes very close to the southern tip of the Big Island, the Hawaiian Islands will still see big impacts.

Torrential rain slamming parts of the Big Island could trigger life-threatening flash flooding, mudslides and landslides, especially across the areas with steep terrain.

Lala is forecasted to bring rainfall of 8 to 12 inches across eastern Maui and the Big Island, with the highest totals of 1-2 feet across the higher elevations of the Big Island, with isolated higher amounts possible. The remainder of the Hawaiian Islands are forecasted to receive 4 to 6 inches of rain on the eastern side and 2-4 inches on the western side of the islands.

Large and dangerous surf, especially on the Big Island, is also expected this weekend. The greatest impacts are expected along exposed windward and southern shores. The prolonged period of heavy surf may cause localized coastal flooding and significant beach erosion.