Hurricane Lala was pulling away from Hawaii's Big Island early Sunday, as heavy rain and strong winds struck the US Pacific state and officials warned of potentially dangerous flooding. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that damaging winds would persist across portions of the Big Island overnight, with the strongest winds expected in areas of higher terrain. The coast was warned to be hit with large and dangerous waves.
Lala strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane on Saturday, generating winds of up to 75 miles per hour (120 kilometers per hour). The hurricane appeared to have peaked in intensity when it passed near South Point of the Big Island in the afternoon, and did not make landfall. NHC officials said that Lala could maintain its intensity for a few more hours, but weakening was expected by early Sunday as it continued to pull away from the Big Island.
Aside from the Big Island, a tropical storm warning was in place for the state's seven other major islands: Maui, Molokai, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Oahu, Kauai, and Niihau. A maximum storm total of 30 to 35 inches (76 to 89 centimeters) of rainfall was expected over the windward Big Island. Officials warned of heavy rainfall, with life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain, continuing into early Sunday over the Big Island and Maui.
The heavy rain and flood risk will then spread westward across the island chain on Sunday, according to the NHC. Power outages were reported for more than 20,000 customers in Hawaii on Saturday afternoon, with weather officials confirming damaging winds and heavy rain were spreading across the Big Island. Swells generated by Lala are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Governor Josh Green proclaimed a state of emergency to ensure Hawaii and its counties have sufficient resources to clear debris, secure infrastructure, and take other measures to prepare. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said his administration had spent days preparing for the storm and urged residents to be ready. The state was last hit by a major hurricane in 1992, when Hurricane Iniki caused at least six deaths and billions of dollars in damage.
The storm comes as a powerful El Niño has formed in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts a 69 percent chance of a historic El Niño event that would exceed the strength of previous events dating back to 1950 when it peaks between October and December. El Niño, a natural climate pattern when sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean become unusually warm, tends to promote hurricane activity in the Pacific while suppressing it in the Atlantic.
Human-caused climate change can amplify El Niño's impacts because a warmer ocean and atmosphere increase the availability of energy and moisture for extreme weather events, such as heat waves and heavy rainfall. Hawaii's emergency management agency recommended residents clear gutters and drains, move valuables off the ground, seal gaps in doors, and remove tree limbs that threaten their properties.
