(Bloomberg) — Tropical Storm Lala is threatening more than two feet of rain as it moves toward Hawaii’s Big Island and could become the first hurricane to hit the island in more than 100 years.
With winds of 60 miles (97 kilometers) per hour, Lala is forecast to become a Category 1 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale as it approaches the Big Island on Saturday. A hurricane warning is in effect for the island. The storm was 365 miles east-southeast of Hilo and moving west-northwest at 12 mph, the US National Hurricane Center said in an advisory.
Lala is expected to dump 8 to 12 inches of rain across the Big Island and Maui, with isolated totals of as much as 25 inches on the Big Island. The downpours may cause life-threatening flooding and mudslides, particularly across the islands’ steep terrain, according to the hurricane center.
Lala could strike the Big Island, which would make it the first hurricane to hit the island since about 1900, said Carl Erickson, a meteorologist for AccuWeather Inc. Even if the storm misses the island, it could bring torrential rain and flooding to the Big Island and other parts of the state, including Maui and Oahu.
“The biggest impact for the Hawaiian chain is going to be the rain, we are concerned about flash flooding and mudslides,” Erickson said. “It looks like the big island is going to be the hardest hit from this storm.”
A developing El Niño across the Pacific is creating conditions more favorable for hurricanes near Hawaii, which already had a close call earlier this year when Fausto approached the state. Hawaii’s mountainous terrain can intensify rainfall and leave the islands vulnerable to devastating floods. Several Kona lows brought heavy rain across the island chain earlier this year.
Lala is forecast to strengthen later Friday, though its exact track remains uncertain. Most forecasts take the eye just south of the Big Island, with some showing the storm grazing parts of the island.
Maui may receive nearly a foot of rain, while 4 to 6 inches is forecast elsewhere in the state. Tropical storm watches and warnings are in effect for Maui, Lanai, Molokai, Kaho’olawe, Oahu and Kauai.
As of 3:12 p.m. in New York, 32 flights into and out of Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport were delayed, according to FlightAware, as well as 24 out of Hilo.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
Stay updated with the latest Trending, India, World and US news.
Log in to our website to save your bookmarks. It'll just take a moment.
Oops! Looks like you have exceeded the limit to bookmark the image. Remove some to bookmark this image.