Why Hurricane Lala is a historic threat to Hawaii’s Big Island

Hurricane Lala is poised to make history by making landfall on Hawaii's Big Island for the first time in over 155 years. The storm has intensified into a Category 1 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds reaching 120 kmph. Forecasters predict the storm's eye will pass near or over the southern region of the Big Island later on Saturday, bringing life-threatening flooding and potential mudslides.

With over 210,000 residents living on the Big Island, authorities have issued hurricane warnings and closed airports and ports. Rainfall has already reached an alarming rate of 5 cm per hour, with higher elevations of the island potentially receiving up to 63.5 cm of rain. This could lead to dangerous mudslides in the island's mountainous terrain.

The storm has also disrupted power supplies, leaving more than 40,000 utility customers without electricity, including over 31,000 on the Big Island. Hawaiian Electric warned of potentially extended outages, which may continue overnight. Fallen trees have damaged power infrastructure on a 67.6-km stretch of transmission lines on the Hamakua Coast.

In response to the impending threat, residents have taken precautions, stocking up on fuel and water. Fire captain Mike Caputo expressed concerns about flash flooding and fallen trees, noting that it doesn't take landfall to cause destruction. National Weather Service meteorologist Vanessa Almanza emphasized the potential threat posed by the storm's powerful, dry winds, which could increase wildfire risks in areas outside the immediate storm path.

This threat is particularly concerning due to Hawaii's recent history of severe flooding and the devastating 2023 Lahaina wildfire. With strong, dry winds expected, officials have opened shelters and canceled events while advising ranchers to keep cattle in open pastures. The National Hurricane Centre warned that Lala's rainfall could cause "life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain."