Hurricane Warning Now in Effect for Hawaii's Big Island
A Hurricane Warning is now in effect for Hawaii's Big Island as Tropical Storm Lala continues strengthening on a track that could bring the first hurricane landfall there since at least 1900.
Warning Upgraded as Lala Closes In on the Islands
The Big Island's Hurricane Warning means hurricane conditions are now expected, not just possible, with the first rain bands and gusty winds forecast to arrive Friday afternoon and impacts spreading across the island chain through the weekend. A Tropical Storm Watch has also been added for Maui, Molokai and Lanai, meaning tropical storm conditions are possible there within 48 hours.
Small shifts in Lala's exact track could still significantly change where the heaviest rain and strongest winds end up, forecasters cautioned, even with the storm's center currently projected to pass just south of the islands.
A direct hurricane landfall on the Big Island would be unprecedented. Tropical Storms Darby in 2016 and Iselle in 2014 remain the only storms to ever make landfall there, and no hurricane has struck the island on record. Forecasters pointed to Hurricane Hone in August 2024 as a useful comparison: Hone passed about 50 miles south of the Big Island as a Category 1 hurricane without making landfall, yet still dumped more than 2 feet of rain on parts of the island and produced winds over 70 mph.
Rain Totals Climb for the Big Island's Higher Terrain
Rainfall of 4 to 8 inches is expected across Maui and the Big Island generally, but forecasters now say northern and eastern portions of the Big Island could see 12 to 18 inches, with isolated totals possibly running even higher in the steepest terrain. That heavy rain raises the risk of flash flooding and mudslides, particularly at higher elevations.
Wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph are expected widely, with gusts of 60 to 80 mph possible on parts of the Big Island, capable of downing trees and knocking out power. Storm surge of 1 to 3 feet is expected across all the islands, and dangerous surf and rip currents are already building and will continue through the weekend.
What's Next
This year's eastern Pacific hurricane season has been notably active, with eight named storms and two hurricanes so far, including Category 5 Hurricane Genevieve. Lala is only the second storm this season to track as far west as Hawaii's longitude, after Fausto passed well north of the islands in late July. Hawaii County residents should complete final storm preparations now given the warning, and residents statewide should be ready for power outages that could last hours to several days.
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