Lala strengthens into a hurricane while moving west away from Hawaii

Late Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center in Miami reported that a storm system moving west away from Hawaii had rapidly intensified into a Category 3 hurricane. The hurricane was situated approximately 335 miles south-southeast of Maro Reef at the time. It was traveling west-northwest at a speed of 125 mph. The hurricane center classified it as the first major hurricane of 2026 in the Central Pacific region.

Experts anticipate the storm to maintain its hurricane status over the following days, potentially strengthening later in the evening before gradually weakening. A hurricane warning was issued for the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, indicating that hurricane conditions are expected within 36 hours. Previously, the storm had caused damage in parts of Hawaii on Sunday as it passed by without making landfall, weakening from a hurricane to a tropical storm. Efforts were underway to clean up and restore power in affected areas of the state.