Hawaii Island narrowly avoided Hurricane Lala making direct landfall in mid-August 2026. However, the storm caused severe damage when it passed just south of the island on August 15 (above, right) as a Category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale.
Lala brought rainfall totals exceeding 20 inches (50 centimeters) to parts of the island, causing flash flooding and continued risks of mudflows. The storm’s highest precipitation total (43.55 inches (110.6 centimeters) on the morning of August 17) was recorded at Laupāhoehoe, on the northwest coast of Hilo. Lala downed trees, damaged bridges and knocked houses off their foundations. Coastal areas were battered by large waves, while the summit of Mauna Kea, more than 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) above sea level, experienced blizzard conditions.
By early afternoon on August 16, when the other image (left) was acquired, the storm had moved northwest, roughly parallel to the island chain, and was southwest of Kaua’i. Lala had downgraded to a tropical storm, with sustained winds of 65 miles (105 kilometers) per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center.
While the island of Hawai’i bore the brunt of the storm, other islands also suffered destructive effects. High winds caused widespread power outages, and more than 220,000 customers across the state were without power as of the afternoon of August 16, according to news reports. Across the islands, wind and rain damaged infrastructure, and flooding and debris left roads impassable.
There has been an active tropical cyclone season in the eastern Pacific so far in 2026, forecasters say, in line with what scientists expect during an El Niño, which has already been underway since mid-June. Warm water in the equatorial Pacific (the hallmark of El Niño) and the moisture and energy it transfers to the atmosphere help fuel incipient tropical storms. The lack of wind shear, another typical El Niño pattern in this region, also encourages the development and strengthening of tropical storms. The Atlantic hurricane season, by contrast, has been relatively quiet, as increased wind shear over the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea during an El Niño event inhibits hurricane formation by dissipating the upward motion of heat.
Images from NASA’s Earth Observatory by Lauren Delfin, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). Story by Lindsey Doermann.
- AccuWeather (2026, August 17) Lala’s recent close encounter with Hawaii continues to cause problems on Monday. Accessed August 17, 2026.
- Colorado State University (2026, August 17) Northern Hemisphere Tropical Cyclone Activity for 2026. Accessed August 17, 2026.
- Honolulu Civil Beat (2026, August 16) Lala’s Wrath: Houses leveled, some power outages can last for months. Accessed August 17, 2026.
- National Hurricane Center (2026, August 17) LALA Hurricane Advisory File. Accessed August 17, 2026.
- Yale Climate Connections (2026, August 12) Tropical Storm Lala heads toward Hawaii; Possible life-threatening flooding. Accessed August 17, 2026.
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