Hurricane Lala dumps heavy rain on Hawaii
HONOLULU: The eye of Hurricane Lala neared the southern part of Hawaii’s Big Island Saturday, as heavy rain and strong winds lashed the state and officials warned of potentially dangerous flooding across the US Pacific island state.
Hurricane Lala, a Category 1 storm, made landfall on Hawaii's Big Island on Saturday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the US Pacific island state. The National Hurricane Center warned of potential dangerous flooding and large waves across several Hawaiian Islands over the weekend. Lala strengthened to hurricane status around 9 am local time, with winds reaching up to 120 kilometres per hour.
The hurricane affected Hawaii County, which includes the Big Island, with a tropical storm warning issued for the state's other major islands. Lala is expected to drop 25 to 50 cm of rain on the Big Island, with possible totals exceeding 63 cm. Power outages were reported for over 20,000 customers in Hawaii, causing damaging winds and heavy rain.
Governor Josh Green declared a state of emergency, while Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi urged residents to be prepared. This is the strongest storm to hit Hawaii since 1992's Hurricane Iniki, which caused significant damage and six deaths. The ongoing El Nino event is expected to contribute to increased hurricane activity in the Pacific while suppressing it in the Atlantic.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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