LIVE: Hurricane Lala’s eyewall brushes Hawaii Island, steady weakening expected tonight

News admin August 16, 2026 0 Comments

LIVE: Hurricane Lala’s eyewall brushes Hawaii Island, steady weakening expected tonight

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The intensity of Hurricane Lala is forecast to remain steady over the next few hours as the hurricane remains near South Point of the Big Island.

Steady weakening is expected later tonight into Sunday as Lala passes south of the smaller main Hawaiian Islands.

Despite the forecast weakening, Lala has a large wind field extending well north of the center, and the interaction of this flow with the terrain of the islands will continue to produce strong winds across portions of the island chain as Lala passes south of the smaller islands.

Graphics courtesy National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service.

Hurricane Warning

Tropical Storm Warning

High Surf Warning

Tropical Storm Watch

Small Craft Advisory

Flood Watch

Watches and Warnings

Hawaii Island is under a Hurricane Warning. This means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area.

A warning is typically issued 36 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of hurricane-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for all other islands:

A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours.

A Flash Flood Warning is in effect for Hawaii Island until 4 p.m.

A Flood Advisory is in effect for the island of Maui until 5:15 p.m.

A Flood Watch is in effect for:

A High Surf Warning is in effect through 6 a.m. Sunday for east-facing shores of Hawaii Island, Maui, Molokai, and Oahu.

Forecast track and timing

As of 5 p.m. Saturday, Lala’s center was located about 30 miles southwest of South Point, or 220 miles from Honolulu. Lala is moving toward the northwest near 9 miles per hour.

Maximum sustained winds are near 80 mph with higher gusts. Some slight strengthening is possible during the next few hours, but significant weakening is likely tonight after Lala interacts with the Big Island of Hawaii. Some restrengthening is possible early next week.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles.

Storm impacts

Your HNN First Alert Weather Team has declared Saturday and Sunday as First Alert Weather Days.

Wind

Hurricane conditions will persist on the Big Island of Hawaii into tonight, with the strongest winds expected in areas of higher terrain. Tropical storm conditions will continue to spread westward across portions of the smaller islands from Maui County and Oahu later today through tonight, then to Kauai County on Sunday. Wind speeds atop mountains and on the windward and leeward slopes are often up to 30 percent stronger than near-surface winds, and in some elevated locations could be even greater.

Rain

Lala is expected to produce rainfall totals of 10 to 20 inches across the Big Island, with maximum totals of 25 inches possible. An additional 8 to 12 inches is possible across windward Maui, with totals of 4 to 6 inches, and maximum amounts of 8 inches, across the remainder of the island chain. This rainfall will produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain.

Storm surge

The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide.

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast, where the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances.

Surf

Swells generated by Lala will continue to build through theweekend. Swells will also build along exposed southern shores asLala passes south of the islands. These swells are likely to causelife-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Please consultproducts from your local weather office.

Watch more storm-related videos

Download the HNN Weather app from the Apple App Store or Google Play for the latest updates from your First Alert Weather Team: chief meteorologist Jennifer Robbins and weather anchors Guy Hagi, Dan Cooke, Ben Gutierrez, and Billy V.