Lala strengthens into a hurricane while moving west away from Hawaii

Late Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center announced that a storm system moving westward away from Hawaii had intensified into a Category 3 hurricane, marking it as the first major hurricane of 2026 in the Central Pacific. The hurricane, situated approximately 335 miles (535 kilometers) south-southeast of Maro Reef, was traversing the region at a speed of 125 mph (205 kph).

Forecasters projected that the storm would persist as a hurricane for several days, before gradually weakening. A hurricane warning was issued for the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, indicating that hurricane conditions were anticipated within roughly 36 hours. The storm had previously inflicted damage on parts of Hawaii on Sunday as it passed by without making landfall, subsequently weakening from a hurricane to a tropical storm. Efforts were underway to clear debris and restore power in affected areas of the state.