US weather officials said Lala, previously a tropical storm, strengthened into a hurricane on Saturday morning (local time) as it approached the Big Island of Hawaii, where it is expected to bring heavy , flooding and mudslides, as well as dangerous surf and rip currents.
Big Island gears up for Hurricane Lala
Lala’s sustained winds reached 75 mph (120 km/h), making it a Category 1 hurricane, the US National Hurricane Center said. Earlier, an observation site near South Point, at an elevation of 550 feet (167.6 metres), recorded sustained winds of 41 mph (66 km/h) and gusts of up to 64 mph (102 km/h), Reuters reported.
A is classified as a hurricane once its maximum sustained winds reach 74 mph.
The National Hurricane Center issued an advisory at 10 am HST (10:30 pm IST the same day), saying Lala was bringing gusty winds and heavy rainfall as it approached the Big Island. The National Weather Service also warned of dangerous surf and localised flooding.
Forecasters warned that higher elevations around the island’s towering Mauna Kea volcano could receive up to 25 inches (63.5 centimetres) of rain. The deluge could trigger life-threatening in the mountainous region, where some residents live off the grid in makeshift homes, AP reported.
The hurricane center also forecast total rainfall of eight to 12 inches (20.3 to 30.5 centimetres) across Maui and the lower elevations of the Big Island, and roughly four to six inches (10.2 to 15.2 centimetres) across the island chain. The storm comes as many Hawaii residents are still dealing with the aftermath of the floods in March.
In a video posted online, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said the Big Island was experiencing rainfall of two inches (five centimetres) an hour and added, “People should be sheltering in place now.”
Green had earlier described Lala as an “enormous storm” capable of causing destructive flooding, while warning that strong winds could also spark wildfires across the island chain. According to PowerOutage.us, at least 32 per cent of customers on the Big Island were without power. The island has a population of about 210,000 and is the largest of Hawaii’s islands.
Big Island under hurricane warning
Forecasters issued a hurricane warning for the , while tropical storm warnings were issued for Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Kauai and Niihau. Vanessa Almanza, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Honolulu, said shelters had been opened, events cancelled, and ranchers advised to leave their cattle in pastures rather than in structures that could collapse. She said, “It doesn’t take landfall to create destruction.”
The Hawaii Department of Transportation said it would shut down Hilo International Airport and close Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole at 2 p.m. HST. The department also closed the commercial ports on Hawaii Island, in Maui County, and on Kaua‘i.
If Lala retains its strength and makes landfall as a , it would be the first storm of that intensity to hit the islands since 1992.
(with agency inputs)
