Tropical Storm Lala has formed over the Pacific Ocean, and forecasters say its projected path could bring it directly toward Hawaii within hours.
Computer forecast models, often known as spaghetti models, show the newly developed system reaching the Big Island as soon as Friday, prompting the National Hurricane Center to issue a hurricane watch.
In an advisory, NHC officials cautioned: ‘Heavy rainfall associated with Tropical Storm Lala will begin to impact the Big Island Friday, spreading westward across the island chain during the weekend.’
‘This rainfall may produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain.’
Forecasters also warned that Lala, which strengthened into a tropical storm Thursday morning, could intensify into a Category 1 hurricane as it moves near or over the islands.
As of the latest update, Lala was located less than 700 miles southeast of Hawaii and was tracking slowly westward with sustained winds of 40 mph.
More than one million residents live across the state, with major population centers including Honolulu, Waikiki, Kahului and Kihei.
The threat comes as Hawaii moves through the height of its summer tourism season, when about 250,000 visitors are typically on the islands each day from June through mid-August, filling beaches, resorts and popular attractions.
Tropical Storm Lala (Pictured) is expected to make landfall in Hawaii as early as Friday, August 14
Spaghetti models project that Tropical Storm Lala will strike Hawaii’s Big Island, passing just south of the state’s more populated areas
While Hawaii’s Big Island is expected to take the brunt of the approaching storm, the vast majority of the state’s local population and tourist traffic are located on the smaller islands of Maui, Molokaʻi, Lanaʻi and Oʻahu.
These islands have not been placed under a hurricane watch at this time, but weather models show Lala will pass just miles from the shore, likely bringing high winds, heavy rain and rough surf to the entire region.
NHC projects that the smaller islands will see winds approaching 30 mph, with officials adding that long periods of heavy surf this weekend may cause coastal flooding and severe beach erosion on the Big Island and throughout the state.
AccuWeather forecasters have predicted that four to eight inches of rain will fall across the Big Island and Maui, Hawaii’s second-largest island and one of the state’s top tourist destinations.
Maui welcomed approximately 2.5 million visitors in 2025, drawing tourists to its world-class white and black sand beaches, luxury resorts, whale watching sites and iconic attractions such as 64-mile-long highway known as the Road to Hāna.
AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva warned that the oncoming storm closely resembles Hurricane Hone, which brought severe flooding and dangerous winds to the island paradise in 2024.
‘Despite never making landfall in Hawaii, Hone brought more than two feet of rain to portions of the Big Island, causing significant flooding, as well as winds in excess of 70 mph,’ DaSilva said in a statement.
AccuWeather’s worst-case scenario predicts that Lala could bring 24 inches of rain and hurricane force winds of 85 mph to the Big Island.
Tropical Storm Lala may grow in strength to a Category 1 hurricane by Saturday, August 15
Hawaii’s Big Island (Pictured) has been placed under a hurricane watch due to the approach of Tropical Storm Lala
Meteorologists noted that Lala’s path could still change, including moving farther south and away from the Hawaiian islands.
However, this would also likely turn Lala into a much larger hurricane as the storm soaks up more warm water from the Pacific.
Long-range forecasting experts have also warned that the 2026 Pacific hurricane season could be particularly active due to the emergence of a ‘super’ El Nino in June.
El Nino is a natural climate pattern in which the central and eastern Pacific surface temperatures become significantly warmer than average, flipping weather patterns worldwide.
Due to the significantly warmer water in the Pacific fueling tropical cyclone activity, forecasters with AccuWeather predicted there would be 17 to 22 named storms across the Pacific this year.
Between nine and 13 of those were projected to be hurricanes, and as many as eight were predicted to reach ‘major hurricane’ status at Category 3 or greater.
There have already been nine named storms in the Pacific this year, with Fausto and Genevieve becoming hurricanes. Lala would be the third if it reaches hurricane strength.
Fausto came to the closest to Hawaii in late July, nearly missing the state when it shifted north days before its projected landfall.
‘Hawaii has gone a long time without a direct hurricane landfall, but that should not lead to complacency,’ DaSilva explained in May.
‘Some islands were hit hard by flash flooding in March. People across Hawaii should prepare for an increased risk of tropical impacts this year.’
El Nino is also feared to result in an uptick of major storms that could threaten California, potentially even reaching major cities such as Los Angeles this summer.
‘That extra energy stored in the ocean can help storms strengthen faster, last longer and in some cases move farther north toward places like Baja California and far Southern California,’ DaSilva said.
