The Cleanup From Lala Has Only Just Begun on Hawaii's Big Island

What is left of Lala is pulling away from Hawaii after wreaking havoc across the islands over the weekend. Here is the latest on what is happening in the normally tranquil tropical paradise.

Hawaii Cleaning Up After Brush with Hurricane Lala

While what was once Hurricane Lala did not make a direct landfall on Hawaii, it came within 30 miles of the southern tip of Ka Lee on the Big Island late Saturday. The storm reached the classification of a Category 1 hurricane at 9 am local time on Saturday morning. Despite the eye not coming directly on shore, Lala still unleashed up to 30 inches of rain across the Big Island. At least one death is being blamed on the storm.

A peak wind gust of 140 mph was clocked at the summit of the Big Island's Mauna Kea on Sunday morning. This peak also saw heavy snow and blizzard conditions. Elsewhere in the islands, a gust of 91 mph was observed at Waimea on the Big Island, while the island of Moloka'i saw a gust near 80 mph.

Winds of this magnitude knocked out power to about a quarter of the island chain's utility customers. The outages were the highest on the Big Island, with about 65% of these residents without power during the peak of the winds.

Although the worst of Lala's impacts began to dissipate on Monday, the cleanup effort is going to take some time. The storm surge generated by Lala's close encounter caused extensive structural and road damage. In addition, the saturated soil is presenting problems for crews working hard to restore power.

What to Expect in Hawaii in the Coming Days

As of late Monday, what was left of Lala was moving to the west-northwest. While the storm weakened after its brush with Hawaii, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) is forecasting that it could become a hurricane again as it moves over the open seas of the Pacific.

Some areas of Oahu and Kauai woke up to lingering periods of heavy rain on Monday. Although the moisture machine has turned off for the eastern islands, forecasters are warning that the threat of flooding, mudslides, and debris flows will persist in the days ahead.

This storm packed a good amount of precipitation as the outer bands impacted the islands. The top rainfall total of 43.54 inches was observed in Laupahoehoe on the Big Island.

The rough seas that kept boaters and swimmers on land over the weekend are starting to diminish. However, conditions will still be hazardous for small watercraft. In addition, local officials are warning of the threat of sneaker waves riding along swells from the southwest and the west. Extra caution is being urged for swimmers and boaters through the middle of the week.

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