Tropical Storm Lala Persists Southwest of Hawaii

Lala weakened back into a Tropical Storm, but continues to cause significant rain across Hawaii.

As of 8 p.m. HST (2 a.m. EDT), Tropical Storm Lala was located near 20.7N, 162.0W, or about 190 miles west-southwest of Lihue, and 270 miles west of Honolulu. Lala is moving at 13 mph towards the west, with winds of 65 mph. Its central pressure is 29.44 inches, or 997 mb.

After briefly becoming a hurricane, Lala scraped just to the south of the Big Island on Saturday, with its eye coming within 20-30 miles of the southern tip of the island. This brought very heavy rain and damaging winds to the island, some of which continues this morning. By this afternoon, conditions will start to improve as the storm moves away.

Meanwhile, the remainder of the island chain is now at risk for Tropical Storm Lala. Flash flooding and mudslides are anticipated due to the mountainous terrain. Strong winds will also continue, likely tropical-storm-force winds.

Rain will also continue to be dumped across Hawaii. Across the Big Island, particularly the eastern sides, rain totals of 8 to 18 inches have already occurred, with some areas reaching 22 to 26 inches. In Maui, they have seen rain amounts of 4 to 10 inches with isolated areas nearing 15 inches. When all is said and done, the Big Island will likely see totals of 15 to 25 inches and locally up to 30 to 35 inches, while Maui will see 5 to 15 inches and locally up to 8 to 18 inches. Meanwhile, the rest of the island chain is expected to see rainfall totals from 2 to 4 inches; however, isolated totals could be as high as 8 inches. Life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain, are possible. Typically dry areas along the coast will likely be flooded by the tide and storm surge where water levels can climb 1 to 2 feet above normal.

Lala will exit Hawaii by Monday, but some lingering light rain bands and breezy winds may occur, particularly for Niihau and Kauai.

Residents as well as visitors to the Hawaiian Islands should take extra precautions and remain informed on evacuation routes and even backup routes in case the preferred route is blocked. Non-perishable foods and clean water, as well as an electricity source to charge necessary electronics, will be very helpful in case the power goes out.