International News: Hurricane Lala strengthens to Category 1 as it nears Hawaii’s Big Island

By Zoila Palma:  Hurricane Lala strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane on Saturday and began lashing Hawaii’s Big Island with strong winds and heavy rain as it approached what could become a historic landfall.

 The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and was located about 120 miles south of Hilo, according to the National Hurricane Center. A 50-mph tropical-storm-force wind gust was also reported near Kealakomo.

A hurricane warning is in effect for the Big Island, with hurricane conditions expected to begin Saturday afternoon. Southern portions of the island are considered most likely to experience hurricane-force winds as Lala’s strongest winds pass near or over land. The storm could also produce dangerous storm surge of up to 1 to 3 feet along parts of the coast, while waves of 8 to 12 feet are expected along some east-facing shores.

The storm’s greatest threat is expected to be torrential rainfall, with more than a foot of rain forecast across much of the Big Island and isolated totals exceeding two feet.

More than 12 inches had already fallen in Keanakolu during the previous 24 hours. The National Hurricane Center warned of life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides, particularly in mountainous areas. Heavy rainfall is expected across Hawaii through Monday, with up to a foot also possible in parts of Maui.

If Lala makes landfall as a hurricane, it would mark the first hurricane to directly strike Hawaii in more than 30 years and the first recorded hurricane landfall on the Big Island.

The last hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii was Category 4 Hurricane Iniki in 1992, which struck Kauai. Tropical Storm Olivia later made landfall on Maui in 2018, marking the island’s first recorded tropical-system landfall.

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