Technology and Science · 16 August, 2026 · 3 min read
Tropical Storm Lala Weakens After Flash Flooding and Hurricane-Force Gusts Hit Hawaii
Lala strengthened to hurricane near Hawaii but skimmed Big Island without direct landfall. Extreme rainfall caused severe flooding across islands, triggering widespread power outages affecting hundreds of thousands.
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BBC states the death as a car accident; CNN adds storm attribution uncertainty.
Hurricane Lala’s Hawaii Impact
Hurricane Lala weakened to a tropical storm after passing south of Hawaii, but the storm still brought flash flooding and hurricane-force gusts across the islands, with the US National Hurricane Center warning that destructive winds could continue to batter the state.
“dumped up to 35in (89cm) of rain in places”
The BBC said the storm “dumped up to 35in (89cm) of rain in places,” and it reported that the eyewall howled within 30 miles (48km) of Big Island’s South Point overnight while flash flooding and mudslides swept away some homes.B
AccuWeather said Lala’s eye passed “a mere 30 miles off the rocky southern tip of Ka Lae on the Big Island,” and it reported that the storm still managed to bring “15-30 inches of rain to the Big Island” while strong winds cut power and “monstrous waves reached the shoreline.”
AccuWeather also reported wind gusts as high as 140 mph at the summit of Mauna Kea, with intermediate elevation gusts to 91 mph at Waimea and near 80 mph on Molokai, as flooding downpours and dangerous seas spread westward into Sunday night before slowly abating on Monday.
The storm’s human toll included at least one death, with Al Jazeera reporting that “At least one person died in a car accident in the South Point area of the Big Island,” as pounding waves and fierce sideways rain continued to lash the coast.
Officials, Power, and Response
As Lala moved westward, the BBC reported that “More than 200,000 householders were without power,” and it said three hospitals had lost power but had backup generators.B
Al Jazeera said Hawaiian Electric warned that hurricane-force winds and rain hampered repair efforts, citing flooded roadways and downed trees, while it also reported that three hospitals had already switched to generator power, with Hawaii’s Governor Josh Green saying so.
In Hawaii County, Mayor Kimo Alameda described the conditions facing responders, telling the BBC that “there’s rushing water, there’s debris, there’s boulders on the road, and it’s dark,” as a search-and-rescue operation was underway after properties were uprooted in Naalehu and Waiohinu.B
The BBC also said the National Hurricane Center warned that Lala was expected to produce additional rainfall of 4 to 8 inches across the Big Island and windward Maui, with maximum storm totals of 30 to 35 inches, even as the storm weakened to a tropical storm.B
AccuWeather added that power outages would gradually be restored on the Big Island into Monday as strong gusts became less frequent and crews ramp up repair operations as conditions permit, while it warned that the most significant risk over the next couple of days would be rounds of heavy rain leading to flash flooding, mudslides and other debris flows.
What’s Next for the Islands
Even after Lala weakened, the BBC said tropical storm warnings remained in effect for all eight of Hawaii’s major islands, and it framed the danger as not over despite the storm moving westward south of Hawaii.B
“tropical storm warnings remain in effect for all eight of Hawaii's major islands”
AccuWeather warned that the projected path should prevent landfall but would allow Lala to track close enough to continue having a significant impact throughout the islands, while it cautioned that a dry slot could abruptly cut off the rain for a time.
The BBC reported that the NHC said Lala was expected to produce additional rainfall of 4 to 8 inches across the Big Island and windward Maui, with maximum storm totals of 30 to 35 inches, and it said the rest of the island chain could expect rainfall of 4 to 6 inches.B
Al Jazeera reported that the NHC advisory said rainfall totals could reach up to 90cm (35 inches) in some areas of the Big Island, and it said the storm’s westward movement raised fears among residents about heavy flooding and strong winds that could help spark wildfires in the Aloha State.
Looking beyond the immediate storm, the BBC noted that Iniki was the last hurricane to hit Hawaii in 1992 and caused six deaths and $3bn in damage after making landfall on the southern coast of Kauai, underscoring the scale of risk officials were trying to prevent as Lala’s impacts continued.B