Just days earlier, Lala was still a tropical storm approaching the Hawaiian Islands from the east-southeast. As Meteo.Events previously reported, forecasters were already warning that the system could strengthen close to Hawaiʻi while carrying an exceptional amount of tropical moisture toward the islands. Lala subsequently intensified into a hurricane as it reached the Big Island, confirming concerns that conditions could deteriorate sharply during its closest approach.
JUST IN: Hurricane Lala has triggered a potentially catastrophic Flash Flood Emergency for the SE portion of Hawaii’s Big Island, where extreme rain totals totals of up to ~30 IN have created life-threatening floodwaters in and around Nā’ālehu.
— Backpirch Weather (@BackpirchCrew) August 16, 2026
Two homes have reportedly been… pic.twitter.com/IOBIL4sodu
The storm avoided a direct landfall on Hawaiʻi Island, but its track was close enough to bring hurricane-force conditions to exposed areas, knock out power to tens of thousands of customers and trigger dangerous flooding.
Lala reached sustained winds of around 80 mph (130 km/h) by early August 16. At 0300 UTC, the hurricane’s center was near 18.7°N, 156.0°W, moving northwest along the leeward side of the Big Island.
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center said Lala was expected to remain a hurricane in the immediate term before gradually weakening as it moves farther west.
In a striking contrast to the tropical downpours flooding lower elevations, Lala also produced snow near the summit of Maunakea. The volcano rises to 13,803 feet (4,207 meters), high enough for temperatures to fall below freezing even while warm, moisture-rich tropical air surrounds the island below.
Snow on Maunakea itself is not unprecedented, but seeing it generated during the passage of a hurricane creates a remarkable weather contrast: flooding tropical rain near sea level and wind-driven snow near the summit, separated vertically by only a few kilometers.
It's happening. Hurricane Lala is currently producing SNOW on the summit of Mauna Kea pic.twitter.com/kwz1RNm0Yl
— Greg Diamond (@gdimeweather) August 16, 2026
More Than 40,000 Customers Lost Power
The combination of powerful winds, saturated ground and falling trees caused widespread disruption across the islands.
More than 40,000 electricity customers were without power by Saturday afternoon, including nearly 32,000 on Hawaiʻi Island alone.
Falling trees damaged transmission infrastructure, while conditions forced the closure of Hilo and Kona airports. Commercial ports across Hawaiʻi Island, Maui County and Kauaʻi were also shut as the storm crossed the region.
Some of Lala’s strongest winds were recorded high above the surrounding terrain. Gusts exceeding 100 mph (160 km/h) were measured at the Maunakea observatory, demonstrating how Hawaiʻi’s enormous volcanic mountains can dramatically alter wind speeds as tropical cyclones move through the islands.
While the strongest conditions were concentrated in exposed and elevated locations, flooding has emerged as one of Lala’s most widespread hazards.
The National Weather Service in Honolulu maintained flash-flood warnings and a Flood Watch as Lala’s circulation pushed exceptionally moisture-rich tropical air across Hawaiʻi and Maui.
Forecast rainfall totals across the Big Island reached 10 to 20 inches (250 to 510 mm), while isolated locations could receive as much as 25 inches (635 mm).
Streams have risen rapidly, and flooding has already affected roads in parts of the island.
The combination of intense rainfall and Hawaiʻi’s steep volcanic landscape creates another potentially dangerous problem. Saturated slopes can become unstable, increasing the threat of landslides, rockfalls and debris flows even after the heaviest rainfall begins to move away.
Why does Lala Produce So Much Rain?
Lala’s track provides a striking example of why a hurricane does not need to make landfall for a mountainous island to experience severe impacts.
The hurricane has been moving west-northwestward around the southern side of a subtropical ridge positioned north of Hawaiʻi. This steering pattern carried Lala’s center just south of the Big Island rather than directly across it.
That spared the island from the hurricane’s core making a direct landfall, but it did little to eliminate the rainfall threat.
Significant river flood along the Wailuku River near Hilo, Hawaii. Standing near this bridge you can feel the thuds with every tree that slammed into it. The rain is still falling substantially. @AaronRigsbyOSC @MyRadarWX #hiwx #Hurricane #lala pic.twitter.com/R1n4N2QPzX
— Jordan Hall (@JordanHallWX) August 16, 2026
Lala’s circulation is carrying enormous quantities of warm tropical moisture into some of the steepest terrain in the Pacific.
As that moisture-laden air encounters Hawaiʻi’s volcanic mountains, it is forced rapidly upward. The rising air cools and condenses, intensifying rainfall on exposed slopes through a process known as orographic lift.
🚨NEW: Hurricane Lala is pounding Hawaii's Big Island, leaving more than 60,000 residents without power.
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) August 16, 2026
The governor has confirmed one death.
The Category 1 hurricane’s core scraped the southern tip of the island, but its eye ultimately passed just offshore, narrowly avoiding… pic.twitter.com/OtucI8BFKr
This means rainfall can become substantially heavier over mountainous sections of the island than it would be over the surrounding ocean.
The same terrain can also accelerate winds across ridges, peaks and other exposed locations, helping explain the extreme gusts recorded around Maunakea.
Lala’s Closest Approach Is Over, But the Flooding Threat Continues
Although Lala’s center is now moving away from Hawaiʻi Island, the danger does not disappear with the hurricane’s eye.
Bands of tropical moisture can continue producing heavy rainfall well after the center passes, while swollen streams and saturated slopes may respond with a delay.
Lala’s passage is therefore shifting from an immediate hurricane wind threat toward a combined flood, landslide and recovery emergency across the hardest-hit parts of Hawaiʻi.
With roads flooded, infrastructure damaged and tens of thousands affected by power outages, conditions may remain hazardous even as the hurricane gradually pulls farther west.
