HONOLULU — In an unusual meteorological turn, Hurricane Lala emerged on Saturday, charting a course for Hawaii’s Big Island, a rare event in storm history.
The National Hurricane Center reported that Lala’s peak winds surged to 75 mph (120 kph), classifying it as a Category 1 hurricane. The storm’s eyewall is projected to pass over or near the island’s southern region by Saturday evening, potentially unleashing its fiercest winds on volcanic slopes that soar thousands of feet above sea level.
Remarkably, the Big Island has not seen a direct hurricane impact for 155 years. Regardless of direct landfall, meteorologists warned that the island’s higher elevations, particularly areas dominated by the majestic Mauna Kea volcano, could be drenched with up to 25 inches (63.5 centimeters) of rainfall.
Such heavy rainfall raises the risk of life-threatening mudslides in hilly terrains where off-the-grid communities reside in makeshift homes. Authorities are urging residents to promptly seek safer ground.
Even if Lala doesn’t fully intensify into a hurricane, the National Hurricane Center indicates that wind speeds on mountain peaks and across both windward and leeward slopes often exceed forecasted near-surface winds by up to 30%.
“This is an enormous storm,” Gov. Josh Green said. Tropical storm force winds extended outward for as much as 220 miles (350 km), and were expected to hit the islands of Oahu and Kauai by Sunday morning.
Destructive flooding and even wildfires kicked up by the strong winds were possible across the island chain.
Mike Caputo, who lives in Keaau, near the east coast of the Big Island, said the main concern is flash flooding and fallen trees, especially albizia, a common tree.
“They’re not very sturdy but they grow extremely large,” Caputo, 50, a local fire captain, said. “They can make roads impassable. I made sure my trees were trimmed a few days ago.”
Tropical storm warnings were issued for the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Kauai and Niihau.
According to a University of Hawaii atmospheric scientist’s research of newspaper accounts, a Category 3 hurricane hit the northeast corner of the Big Island in 1871. The latest forecast has Lala striking “very close to the southern tip of the Big Island,” said Vanessa Almanza, a weather service meteorologist in Honolulu.
Officials and residents braced for Lala regardless. Shelters were opened, events were canceled and ranchers were urged to leave their cattle in pastures, rather than structures that might collapse. “It doesn’t take landfall to create destruction,” Almanza said.
The hurricane center predicted 8 to 12 inches (20.3 to 30.5 centimeters) of total rainfall across Maui and the lower elevations of the Big Island, and 4 to 6 inches (10.2 to 15.2 centimeters) across the island chain.
The center also warned that the storm could cause “life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain,” along with a dangerous storm surge and ocean swells “likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.”
As of 8 a.m. in Hawaii, Tropical Storm Lala was located about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southeast of South Point, Hawaii and about 300 miles (485 kilometers) southeast of Honolulu, with maximum sustained winds strengthening to 70 mph (110 kph). Lala was moving toward the west-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph), the hurricane center said.
Officials urge taking the storm seriously
State Rep. Jeanné Kapela urged people to remain alert. The southern end of the island is remote and rural, with agriculture including coffee and cattle, but it’s growing in population because of its affordability. Kapela was especially worried about people who live off the grid in unpermitted structures.
“If you feel now that your house doesn’t have a great roof or might not be able to withstand hurricane force winds, then first things first you go to a family or friend’s house and you kind of hunker down there,” she texted to The Associated Press. “We’re hopeful the storm moves through quickly, but we’re preparing for whatever comes.”
Many Hawaiians are still dealing with the aftermath of