Hurricane Lala Skirts Big Island, Killing One Amid Flooding

Hurricane Lala passed just south of Hawaii's Big Island on Saturday without making landfall, yet it delivered sustained winds and torrential rainfall that cut power to more than 40,000 customers and left roads flooded across multiple islands. The storm reached Category 1 strength with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour before gusts climbed higher, brushing within 30 miles of South Point. Officials recorded one weather-related death in a car accident near that southern tip.

National Hurricane Center advisories projected 10 to 20 inches of rain across the Big Island, with isolated totals up to 25 inches possible in higher terrain. Eastern Maui was forecast to receive 8 to 12 inches. Those amounts triggered explicit warnings of life-threatening flooding and mudslides, particularly where slopes are steep. Hawaiian Electric reported the largest share of outages on the Big Island, with 31,792 customers affected, followed by 7,203 in Maui County. Crews on the Hamakua Coast began assessing 42 miles of transmission lines after trees downed multiple poles.

Governor Josh Green urged residents to stay off roads already compromised at dozens of sites. Videos from the state transportation department showed fast-moving water over pavement and blocked routes. Tropical storm warnings remained active for the remaining major islands, including Oahu and Kauai, as the system tracked westward. Forecasters said damaging winds and heavy rain would continue overnight on the Big Island before shifting toward the smaller islands on Sunday.

The storm's core stayed offshore, easing fears of a direct hit that had not occurred in more than a century. Even so, coastal areas faced large waves and a potential three-foot storm surge. Utility officials warned customers that some outages could last through the night or longer while crews worked under continuing hazardous conditions. The pattern of damage, concentrated where trees intersected power infrastructure, underscored familiar vulnerabilities in remote transmission corridors.

By late Saturday the system was expected to weaken gradually while moving west of the main islands. State and federal agencies continued to monitor rainfall totals and road conditions into Sunday, with the focus on preventing additional incidents in areas already saturated by earlier downpours.