A vehicle approaches a fallen utility pole hanging over the Mamalahoa Highway during Hurricane Lala near Ocean View, Hawaii, on Saturday. Stephen Lam/SF Chronicle Tropical Storm Lala strengthened into a hurricane as it headed toward the southern tip of Hawaii’s Big Island on Saturday. Tomer Burg/PolarWxA slowly strengthening Hurricane Lala moved across the ocean around Hawaii on Saturday as it battered the islands with rain and wind. The storm was reclassified as a hurricane at 9 a.m. local time after it reached sustained winds of 75 mph. The core of the storm skimmed the bottom of the Big Island as it moved westward, according to a report from the National Hurricane Center. Technically, Lala did not make landfall on the southern tip of the island as it moved northwest and away from the Big Island at about 9 mph Saturday night. Lala is also largely expected to remain south of the smaller islands, but could turn toward the northwest Hawaiian Islands depending on conditions, according to a National Hurricane Center discussion. Article continues below this advertisement The Big Island is being battered by gale-force winds, heavy rain and dangerous waves, although the storm is likely to weaken in its wake. Only two hurricanes are known to have made landfall in the Hawaiian Islands since records began in 1949: Hurricane Dot in 1959 and Hurricane Iniki in 1992. However, hurricanes that pass near the islands can cause, and have caused, significant damage. “serious”. Even by Saturday morning, the storm’s outer bands had already dumped 12 inches of rain on some of the eastern slopes of the Big Island, said Ian Morrison, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Areas at lower elevations had significantly lower totals. Article continues below this advertisement. A resident carries supplies during Hurricane Lala at Hawaiian Ocean View on the Big Island of Hawaii, Saturday. The storm strengthened into a hurricane as it approached Hawaii. Stephen Lam/SF Chronicle Rain was expected to be Lala’s biggest threat. Hawaii Island’s steep, rugged terrain can force moist air upward, intensifying precipitation and increasing the risk of flash flooding and landslides. Winds were also a factor: Weather instruments on the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii’s highest point at about 13,800 feet, recorded a gust of 140 mph Saturday afternoon. The National Weather Service warned of flash flooding on the Big Island. Flooding could affect “small streams and streams, urban areas, roads, streets and underpasses,” according to the warning, “as well as other low-lying and poorly drained areas.” Forecasters expect the storm to produce 10 to 20 inches across the Big Island, with up to 25 inches in some areas. The island of Maui and the rest of the island chain are expected to see less precipitation, but still up to 8 inches in some places, according to weather service forecasts, leading to “life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain.” Stephen Lam/SF Chronicle After hitting the Big Island and Maui, “damaging winds are expected to extend westward to Oahu and Kauai later this afternoon and Sunday,” the weather service said in an update shortly before noon local time. “It is very important to note that the mountainous terrain of the islands will likely produce localized areas of very intense and damaging winds, even very far from the center of the tropical cyclone.” Casey Delaries fills a sandbag in preparation for Hurricane Lala in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, on Friday. Stephen Lam/SF ChronicleMorrison said that while the Big Island was under a hurricane warning, Lala was expected to hit other areas of the state at tropical storm strength, with winds of 35 to 45 mph and gusts up to 55 mph beginning Sunday and lasting through Monday. Article continues below this advertisement. Sandbags line the entrance to a store Friday in Captain Cook, Hawaii, in preparation for Hurricane Lala. Stephen Lam/SF Chronicle The hurricane warning is the first issued for Hawaii Island since Hurricane Lane approached the state in 2018, according to the National Hurricane Center. The last hurricane warning in Hawaii was issued during Hurricane Douglas in 2020. The last hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii was Hurricane Iniki, which hit Kauai as a Category 4 storm in 1992. Hurricanes rarely make landfall in Hawaii, in part because the chances are simply low: The islands are small dots in a vast ocean, Morrison said. But the formation of the hurricane itself is affected by what experts believe will be an extremely strong El Niño. El Niño is a pattern in which cycles of cold and warm waters in the Pacific Ocean cause changes in climate, temperature, atmosphere, and more. Article continues below this advertisement. In a typical year, wind shear, which are changes in wind speed and direction, surrounds the islands. When wind shear comes into contact with a tropical storm, the shear weakens the storm, according to Morrison. But the warm waters of El Niño have caused weaker wind shear, making it easier for the storm to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane. “We can never know if a storm will change,” Green warned Friday afternoon, a day after declaring a state of emergency and activating the state’s Major Disaster Fund. The measure allows for the activation of the state National Guard, if necessary, and directs state agencies to coordinate emergency response efforts. Wind whips palm trees Saturday as people walk along a path at Waikoloa Beach Resort in Hawaii. The tropical storm strengthened into a hurricane as it approached Hawaii, with up to 25 inches of rain possible on the Big Island. Stephen Lam/SF Chronicle Authorities have asked state residents to secure outdoor furniture and other loose items, clean gutters and drains, remove valuables from floors and prepare for power outages. Residents and visitors should stay away from beaches and coastal areas during periods of high surf. “As the weather hits, stay home if you can,” Morrison said. “Check on your neighbors, stay safe and listen to our public officials. If they tell you to evacuate, please evacuate.”
