Flight cancellations, beaches close as Lala approaches Hawaii Island

News admin August 15, 2026 0 Comments

Flight cancellations, beaches close as Lala approaches Hawaii Island

HILO (HawaiiNewsNow) – As Tropical Storm Lala draws closer to Hawaii Island, residents and visitors alike are bracing for impact.

The storm is slowly becoming more organized and conditions are expected to deteriorate over Hawaii Island beginning early Saturday.

Along the Keaukaha coast near the Hilo airport, everyone is hoping for the best while preparing for the worst.

Captain Craig Kamahele has lived all his life in Keaukaha. On any given day, you’ll find him and his friends at the beach, but today, it’s a different story.

“My friends are not here, and this is usually where we stick around,” Kamahele said. “I don’t think you’ll see anyone here today.”

At Onekahakaha Beach Park, which is now closed to the public, strong surf is coming in.

Surf is expected to reach east-facing shores Friday and spread westward and build throughout the weekend.

At KWXX Radio in Hilo, morning show host Kuehu Mauga is getting the word out.

Since the threat of the storm emerged, Mauga and the rest of KWXX have been on air keeping listeners informed about Lala.

“Especially in extreme weather, we are the constant presences for all of our ohana and families here on Hawaii Island, and so keeping that relations and connection and getting that information to our residents and ohana is so important, so we are thankful for the platform and presence to get our information about any kind of storms out safely.

Over at Hilo International Airport, flights in and out of Hilo were still operating. Sandbags were clearly placed in the check-in area in anticipation of heavy rain.

A few Hawaiian Airlines passengers made it down to the airport to jump on a flight before the expected cancellations take place.

“The news has been showing that there’s more of a threat increasing, so we are just hoping to get back to our families and not be stuck here that would be ideal,” said Kauai resident Nathan Cotter.

Cotter is a contractor working at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, which has since closed for the storm. He, along with a coworker, were released earlier Friday.

“We are on standby for any earlier flight if possible, so if we can we will. If not, we are on an afternoon flight, and that’s potentially iffy,” he said.

All Alaska/Hawaiian flights were canceled at 2 p.m. Friday in and out of Hilo, and all operations have been suspended on Saturday.

Southwest Airlines has also issued travel advisories and alerts. The airline is evaluating any potential flights on a case-by-case basis.

Southwest flights are still on for Friday, but two flights at 6 and 8 a.m. Saturday are currently canceled.