Hawaii's governor has declared a state of emergency as Tropical Storm Lala churns toward the Big Island with hurricane-force winds expected by the weekend, a storm that could mark the first direct tropical hit on the islands in 75 years.
Governor Josh Green issued the emergency declaration on Thursday as Lala, packing maximum sustained winds of 60 mph, tracked west-northwest through the central Pacific at 10 mph. As of 5 a.m. ET on August 14, the storm sat roughly 455 miles east-southeast of Hilo, close enough that forecasters expect heavy rain and gusty winds to reach the Big Island by Friday.
Hurricane warnings are now in effect for Hawaii County. Tropical storm watches cover Maui County, including the islands of Maui, Lanai, Molokai, and Kahoolawe. The storm is forecast to strengthen gradually Friday into Saturday, with its closest approach to the Big Island expected early Saturday morning.
If Lala makes direct landfall, Fox News reported it would be the first tropical storm to directly strike Hawaii in 75 years, a milestone that underscores how rare and serious this threat is for island residents who may have little personal experience riding out a direct hit.
Green did not sugarcoat it in his public statement. The New York Post reported the governor's warning to residents across the state:
"Tropical Storm Lala poses a serious threat to our state, particularly Hawaiʻi Island, and we are taking action now to ensure resources are available where they are needed."
Green followed that with a direct appeal to families: "I urge everyone to secure their homes, gather essential supplies, review their family emergency plans, and follow updates from trusted official sources. Please take this storm seriously and look out for one another."
The emergency declaration clears the way for state resources to flow to affected counties ahead of the storm's arrival. Whether those resources reach the right places fast enough will depend on execution, a concern that looms large for any island community where supply chains are already stretched thin by geography.
The rain forecast alone is staggering. The Big Island and Maui face 8 to 12 inches of rainfall. At higher elevations on the Big Island, totals could climb to 25 inches, according to AP News, citing the National Hurricane Center. The remainder of the Hawaiian Islands can expect 4 to 6 inches.
That kind of water, dumped on volcanic terrain with steep slopes and thin soil, creates conditions ripe for life-threatening mudslides and landslides. ABC News reported that localized coastal flooding and significant beach erosion are also expected, particularly along exposed windward and southern shores of the Big Island.
Storm surge of 1 to 3 feet is forecast, with waves potentially exceeding 30 feet. Tides are already running higher than normal because of warm ocean temperatures and trade winds, conditions that amplify the storm's coastal punch before it even arrives.
The Big Island's windward side, where rainfall is heaviest under normal conditions, will bear the brunt. Residents in low-lying areas and along flood-prone gulches face the highest risk. Hawaii has seen what flash flooding can do in mountainous terrain, and Lala threatens to test drainage systems and emergency response capacity across the island chain.
This is not the first storm to threaten the islands in recent months. Earlier storm systems have already put Hawaii on alert this season, sending large swells and dangerous surf toward island shores.
The New York Post noted that Lala is part of a broader trend of increased Pacific tropical activity linked to El Niño. Warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern Pacific have fueled storm development in a region that typically sees fewer cyclones than the Atlantic basin.
That El Niño-driven pattern has put Hawaii squarely in the path of multiple systems this season. For an island state that depends on tourism and agriculture, repeated storm threats carry economic consequences that extend well beyond the weather itself.
While a direct landfall is no longer considered the most likely scenario, forecasters still expect Lala to pass close enough to deliver damaging conditions across much of the island chain. A near-miss from a strengthening hurricane can produce impacts nearly as severe as a direct hit, especially on the storm's rain-heavy side.
Several critical details remain unclear. No evacuation orders have been publicly reported as of Thursday. It is not yet confirmed whether Lala will officially reach hurricane strength before its closest approach, or whether the storm's track will shift in the final 48 hours.
Recent hurricane threats to Hawaii have shown how quickly forecasts can change in the central Pacific, where small shifts in steering currents can mean the difference between a glancing blow and a catastrophic landfall.
The projected path after the Big Island approach also remains an open question. Whether Lala curves north or continues west will determine how much additional impact Maui and the other islands absorb beyond the rain and surf already forecast.
For residents on the Big Island, the math is simple. A storm with 60 mph winds is heading their way, strengthening as it comes. Up to 25 inches of rain could fall on steep terrain prone to landslides. Waves may top 30 feet. And the state has declared an emergency before the first raindrop falls.
Hawaii's geography makes it uniquely vulnerable. There is no evacuating to the next state. Supplies arrive by ship and plane. When a storm this size targets the islands, preparation is not optional, and the recent string of tropical threats should have every household on the islands ready to act.
Seventy-five years without a direct tropical storm hit is a long streak. Streaks end. The only question now is whether Hawaii's leaders and residents are ready when this one does.
