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Why It Matters
Hawaii’s Big Island faces an unprecedented weather threat this weekend as Tropical Storm Lala strengthens into a hurricane and tracks toward the islands. A direct landfall would mark the first hurricane to strike the Big Island in 155 years, exposing a region with limited hurricane experience to potentially destructive winds, flooding, and wildfires.
What Happened
The National Hurricane Center forecast Tropical Storm Lala to reach hurricane strength by Saturday as it moves westward across the Pacific toward Hawaii. As of Friday afternoon, the storm was located approximately 275 miles east-southeast of South Point on the Big Island, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and forward movement of 14 mph toward the west-northwest.
A hurricane warning has been issued for the Big Island, while a tropical storm warning covers Maui County—which includes Maui, Molokai, Lanai, and Kahoolawe. If Lala makes landfall on the Big Island as a hurricane, it would be the first to do so since 1871, when a Category 3 storm struck the northeast corner of the island.
Officials have opened shelters and canceled various events in preparation for the storm’s arrival. The southern end of the Big Island, a remote and rural area that has grown in population due to housing affordability, faces the greatest exposure.
Expected Impacts
Forecasters warn of heavy rainfall, strong winds, destructive flooding, and potential wildfire conditions across the islands. Some spots on the Big Island could receive as much as 25 inches of rain, while 8 to 12 inches are expected across much of the Big Island and Maui, with 4 to 6 inches predicted for the broader island chain.
“It doesn’t take landfall to create destruction,” told the Post Register Vanessa Almanza, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Honolulu. “A lot of the impacts are felt outside of the hurricane,” she added, noting that even a near-miss can produce significant damage.
The southern portion of the Big Island’s economy depends partly on agriculture, including coffee farming and cattle ranching. Heavy rainfall and wind pose risks to both crops and infrastructure in the region.
Historical Context
Direct hurricane landfalls on the Big Island are exceptionally rare. The 1871 strike remains the most recent, making the current threat noteworthy for a population with limited living memory of such an event. While Hawaii as a whole has experienced hurricanes, Kauai has historically seen the most landfalls statewide, including Hurricane Iniki, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm in 1992.
The islands received a stark reminder of hurricane-adjacent dangers in 2023, when the town of Lahaina on Maui burned during extreme winds associated with a distant hurricane. That fire killed dozens and destroyed much of the historic town, highlighting how tropical cyclones can create hazardous conditions far from the storm center.
“First time since satellites,” Almanza told the National Weather Service Honolulu, underscoring that the current track represents a rare event for the modern meteorological era.
What’s Next
Residents are urged to prepare for severe weather, secure loose outdoor items, and heed evacuation orders if issued. The storm is expected to affect the islands this weekend, with conditions deteriorating as Lala approaches. Emergency management officials will continue monitoring the system’s track and intensity as it moves toward Hawaii.
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