Lala floods Hawaii, knocks out power after brushing Big Island as hurricane
Flash flooding swept homes off their foundations on the Big Island, prompting a search and rescue late Saturday. Two-day rain totals have surpassed 3 feet in some locations.
Before-and-after video captures the difference at Rainbow Falls after Hurricane Lala brought torrential rain to Hilo, Hawaii.
Hawaii continues to feel the impacts of Tropical Storm Lala after the storm brushed the Big Island as a hurricane Saturday leaving thousands without power and causing destructive flooding.
Lala formed into a tropical storm early Thursday southeast of Hawaii and has continued to gradually strengthen, becoming a Category 1 hurricane early Saturday with sustained winds of 75 mph. As Lala made its closest pass, Hawaii County was under a hurricane warning with hurricane-force winds felt across the Big Island. The last time a hurricane watch or warning was issued for the islands was during Hurricane Douglas in 2020.
Lala was downgraded to a tropical storm early Sunday.
A view of the rising water levels at the Wainaku Street Bridge in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (Taylor Cozloff/Civil Beat via AP)
[See the track, impacts and latest AccuWeather forecast on Lala here.]
Lala prompted a “Particularly Dangerous Situation" warning from the National Weather Service late Saturday, as a flash flood emergency unfolded on Hawaii Island.
County Mayor Kimo Alameda confirmed several homes were swept off their foundations, prompting a search and rescue effort. At least one person was killed in a storm-related crash, according to Gov. Josh Green.
More than 30 inches of rain inundates Big Island as outages spread across Hawaii
A vehicle approaches a downed utility pole dangling above Mamalahoa Highway during Hurricane Lala near Ocean View, Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (Photo by Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
AccuWeather hurricane experts forecast more than 3 feet of rain on the Big Island, a threshold that has now been exceeded in several locations.
The highest 48-hour rainfall totals topped 3 feet on the Big Island, including 42.50 inches at Laupahoehoe, with more than 35 inches at Nahuku and Nene Cabin; Maui’s highest total was 23.17 inches at Waikamoi.
Through the weekend, Hawaii Department of Transportation crews have been responding to blocked roads on Hawaii Island, Maui and Oahu as Lala's powerful winds knocked down trees and power poles.
More than 200,000 homes and businesses were without power across Hawaii Sunday as Lala’s winds spread westward across the island chain, according to PowerOutage.us. About 70% of the Hawaii Island customers are without service and more than 120,000 are out in Honolulu County on Oahu.
Debris and trees down on Route 210 on Hawaii Island from Hurricane Lala's brings winds on Aug. 15, 2026. (Image credit: Hawaii DOT)
A 140-mph gust was reported at Mauna Kea Summit around noon. A 74-mph gust was recorded in Olowalu, Maui.
Hawaii Electric began preparing for Lala earlier in the week. The provider said more than 500 employees, contractors and support workers are positioned across the state to help with power restoration efforts following the storm.
Coastal areas also face a growing threat. Swells generated by Lala reached east-facing shores Friday before spreading west and building through the weekend, producing life-threatening surf and rip currents. On Saturday, as Lala skimmed by the islands, big waves were pounding across east-facing shores with heights nearing 20 feet. The highest surf is forecast from Upolu Point in North Kohala to South Point in Kaʻū.
Lala arrived as the Big Island was already dealing with other natural hazards.
Lava fountains reached heights of 80-100 feet above Kilauea’s summit in Hawaii on Aug. 12. Footage shared by the USGS shows the eruption during the day and at night inside Halemaʻumaʻu crater.
The Daniel K. Inouye Highway, also known as Saddle Road, reopened between Old Saddle Road and Highway 190 on Friday. Crews were battling a wildfire that started Tuesday in South Kohala, leading to the temporary closure. The fire had burned about 230 acres and was 60% contained as of Wednesday, with crews from Hawaii County, the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Pohakuloa Training Area and the Hawaii Army National Guard involved in the response.
Kilauea also produced its 53rd eruptive episode of the ongoing summit eruption Wednesday afternoon into early Thursday. The episode began at 3:45 p.m. HST Wednesday and ended at 1:23 a.m. Thursday after 9.6 hours of lava fountaining. Fountains reached approximately 500 feet above the ground while the volcanic plume climbed to about 18,000 feet above sea level. The U.S. Geological Survey said another lava-fountaining episode is likely.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park closed most areas to the public beginning Friday at noon ahead of Lala's arrival.
Hawaii’s Big Island has never had a hurricane landfall
Lala passed just south of the Big Island Saturday night. If Lala had made landfall, it would have been the first-known hurricane landfall there in the modern historical record, according to AccuWeather hurricane experts.
Tropical cyclone landfalls on the Big Island are rare. Tropical Storm Iselle crossed the Kaʻū coast near Pahala in August 2014 after weakening from a hurricane shortly before reaching the island. Tropical Storm Darby made landfall near Pahala in July 2016 before crossing the southern half of the island.
The island’s towering terrain can disrupt the circulation of approaching tropical cyclones. Both Iselle and Darby weakened or became significantly disrupted as they encountered the Big Island’s mountainous terrain.
Still, a tropical storm or hurricane does not need to make landfall to produce dangerous impacts.
Hurricane Hone passed about 50 miles south of the Big Island in August 2024, bringing heavy rain and tropical-storm-force winds to parts of the island. Hone’s center made its closest approach about 45 nautical miles south of South Point while the storm was strengthening into a Category 1 hurricane.
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