Tropical Storm Lala Takes Aim at Hawaii as Hurricane Warnings Go Up Across the Islands
Tropical Storm Lala was located roughly 420 miles (675 km) southeast of Hilo on Hawaii's Big Island on the morning of 14 August 2026, with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (97 km/h), according to NOAA's latest advisory. The storm was tracking west-northwest at about 12 mph (19 km/h) and was expected to strengthen into a hurricane before reaching the Big Island on Saturday. The Guardian
NOAA's National Hurricane Center issued Public Advisory #9 at 5:00 AM HST, which included a hurricane warning for Hawaii County, covering the Big Island. A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warned area, typically within 36 hours. Tropical storm warnings, which indicate tropical storm conditions are expected, were posted for Maui, Molokai, and Kahoolawe. A tropical storm watch, meaning conditions are possible rather than certain, was issued for Oahu and Kauai Counties. Earlier advisories had placed Lala's intensity at 35 knots with near-hurricane strength possible; the latest data showed winds near 40 mph (65 km/h) with higher gusts and steady strengthening anticipated. NHC Public Advisory #9
NOAA's Weather Prediction Center warned that Hawaii faces life-threatening flash floods and mudslides as the system approaches. Rainfall totals of 8 to 12 inches were predicted across Maui and the Big Island, with localized pockets potentially receiving up to 25 inches. A storm surge of 1 to 3 feet, meaning an abnormal rise of seawater pushed ashore by the storm, was forecast as Lala comes ashore Saturday.
Flood watches were layered across the island chain. For Lanai, Molokai, Kahoolawe, Maui, and Hawaii County, watches were in effect from Friday through Saturday night. For Kauai, Niihau, and Oahu, watches ran from Saturday evening through Sunday night.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green proclaimed a state of emergency in response to the approaching storm, a step that unlocks state-level resources and mutual aid pathways. Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda urged residents to prepare for damaging winds, flooding rain, high surf, power outages, loss of communications, and road closures. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park closed access to the summit of Mauna Loa on Thursday afternoon, with plans to shutter the welcome center, all trails, and the Nahuku lava tube. The Guardian
If Lala's center moves over the Big Island, it would be the first direct tropical cyclone strike on the island since Tropical Storm Darby in 2016. The last major hurricane to hit Hawaii was Iniki in 1992, which caused at least six deaths and billions of dollars in damage. Tropical Storm Iselle in 2014 also brought widespread wind damage and power outages across the Big Island.
The broader context here is one of layered risk. The Big Island's volcanic terrain, with steep slopes and fragile infrastructure in rural districts, amplifies the flash-flood and mudslide threat that NOAA has flagged. Rainfall forecasts of 25 inches in isolated pockets, on top of already saturated or burn-scarred ground in certain areas, could overwhelm drainage systems that were not engineered for tropical cyclone-level precipitation. The early closure of national park infrastructure signals that federal land managers are treating the forecast track with seriousness rather than waiting for confirmation of hurricane intensity.
The watch-to-warning escalation across Oahu and Kauai also matters operationally. Those islands sit on the western end of the chain, meaning their lead time is shorter. Emergency managers there must stage resources now, before the storm's cone of uncertainty, the projected path range that accounts for forecast error, narrows further.
As of 14 August 2026, NOAA's National Hurricane Center reported no tropical cyclones in the Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of America, leaving Lala as the sole active system under U.S. monitoring. The NHC website was last updated at 18:01:16 UTC on Friday, 14 August 2026. NHC
For residents and visitors across the Hawaiian Islands, the next 36 to 48 hours are the critical window. Lala's intensification trajectory, the interaction of its core with the Big Island's topography, and the potential for the system to re-emerge over the channel waters between islands will determine whether Maui and the western islands face tropical storm conditions or something stronger. The forecast cone still carries meaningful uncertainty at this range, but the precautionary measures already taken by state and county officials reflect a storm that is being treated as a credible hurricane threat.
