Hawaii Isn't in the Clear Yet as a New System Trails Lala

What was left of Lala after swiping Hawaii strengthened into a hurricane once again as it pulled away from the islands and moved out into the open waters of the Pacific. While Lala is not expected to impact any significant land masses, some parts of the Desert Southwest and Mexico are being put on alert once again for more tropical weather possibilities. Here is the latest on what is happening in the Eastern U.S.

Lala Intensifies as it Pulls Away from Hawaii

Hawaii barely dodged a direct landfall of Hurricane Lala as the Category 1 storm brushed past the tip of the Big Island late Saturday. Lala was blamed for one fatality, several washed-out roads, minor structural damage, thousands of power outages, and widespread travel disruptions.

As of the late Tuesday update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Lala was packing maximum sustained winds of over 100 mph as it moved to the west across the central Pacific. The feature is not expected to bring any further threats to land; however, that does not mean that the rest of the basin is quieting down.

Forecasters are now watching a developing disturbance trailing Lala. This latest system has a medium chance of taking on more defined tropical characteristics as it approaches the Hawaiian Islands. The good news for the storm-weary people of Hawaii is that a large area of high pressure circulating north of the feature is predicted to send the storm on a west-to-southwest track, keeping its most dangerous impacts well to the south of the island chain.

The likely impacts to Hawaii from this system are expected to be limited to moderate rain in the outer bands of the feature and increased swells. These impacts are forecast to hold off until later in the week, giving residents time to clean up from Lala's damage.

More Worrisome Feature in the Eastern Pacific

Likewise, the Eastern Pacific is also showing signs of life. Exceptionally warm ocean waters and the intensification of El Niño are pairing to support the development of a new tropical weather feature that could bring rain to Baja California in Mexico and into the southwestern corner of the U.S.

The NHC has assigned this zone a high chance of tropical development over the next seven days. The agency is growing more certain of future development as an area of low pressure merges with a surge of moisture spinning off southern Mexico. Forecasters are warning that this system is likely to become a hurricane as it moves to the west-northwest in the days ahead.

One potential scenario would take the system to the west and away from the land. The more concerning track takes the storm farther north and toward Mexico and the Southwest. We will continue to monitor how this storm grows and moves as the week progresses. Stay tuned for all of the latest.

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