Hurricane Lala pushed toward Hawaii on Saturday, bringing damaging winds and soaking rain as more than 40,000 utility customers lost electricity statewide and the National Hurricane Center warned that conditions could become “life-threatening.”
According to poweroutage.com, 42,889 customers in Hawaii were without power as of 2:14 p.m., with the largest share on the Big Island, where 31,792 outages were reported. Maui County, which includes Maui, Lanai and Molokai, had 7,203 customers in the dark.
In a 2 p.m. HST advisory, the hurricane center forecast 10 to 20 inches of rain for the Big Island, with isolated totals possibly reaching 25 inches. Eastern Maui was expected to receive 8 to 12 inches, while western Maui could see 4 to 6 inches.
“This rainfall will produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain,” the center said.
Hawaiian Electric urged residents to prepare for “possible extended outages, potentially overnight,” as the storm continued tracking west across the islands.
Along the Hamakua Coast on the Big Island, crews were inspecting a 42-mile stretch of transmission lines after falling trees brought down several poles and other structures, Hawaiian Electric spokesperson Darren Pai told Hawaii News Now.
Earlier Saturday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Lala had reached maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, strengthening it into a Category 1 hurricane.
At the Maunakea Weather Center, located on the Big Island’s highest peak, gusts topped 100 mph through the early afternoon, though winds closer to sea level would have been weaker.
The Hawaii Department of Transportation said it was closing Hilo International Airport and would close Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole at 2 p.m. HST.
The department also closed the Hawaii Island, Maui County, and Kaua‘i commercial ports.
