Storm weakens after skirting Big Island without making landfall, but flooding, damaging winds and dangerous surf continue across Hawaiian islands
By SCN NEWS DESK
HONOLULU — Tropical Storm Lala continued to batter Hawaii with heavy rain and strong winds on Sunday after briefly strengthening into a hurricane, leaving one person dead, damaging homes and knocking out electricity to tens of thousands of customers across the islands.
Lala skirted Hawaii's Big Island without making landfall on Saturday before weakening back into a tropical storm, but officials warned that its sprawling circulation continued to bring dangerous weather across the state.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green confirmed one storm-related death involving a vehicle on the Big Island. Local reporting said other people were injured by falling trees as powerful winds swept across the island.
The storm caused extensive electricity disruptions. Reuters reported that more than 42,000 customers were without power by Saturday afternoon, including nearly 32,000 on the Big Island and more than 7,000 in Maui County.
The disruption grew substantially as the storm moved through the islands. The Associated Press reported Sunday that more than 130,000 customers had lost electricity at some point, while hospitals in affected areas switched to emergency generators.
Hawaiian Electric warned that some outages could take considerable time to repair because falling trees and strong winds damaged transmission infrastructure.
Along the Big Island's Hamakua Coast, fallen trees damaged transmission lines across a roughly 42-mile stretch, complicating restoration efforts.
Lala had strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane on Saturday, packing sustained winds of around 75 mph as it approached the Big Island.
Extremely strong gusts were recorded at higher elevations, including winds exceeding 100 mph on Maunakea, according to Reuters.
The storm's centre ultimately passed south of the Big Island rather than making the direct landfall that forecasters had feared.
By early Sunday, Lala had weakened to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds near 70 mph and was moving northwest at around 15 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center information reported by AP.
At 2 a.m. local time, the storm was roughly 105 miles west-northwest of Kailua-Kona and about 100 miles south of Honolulu.
Despite the weakening, the National Weather Service warned that dangerous conditions were not over.
Torrential rainfall raised the threat of flash flooding and landslides, particularly across mountainous sections of the Big Island. Some higher-elevation locations could receive exceptionally heavy rainfall before conditions improve.
Rivers and streams swelled as the storm moved through, while flooding triggered search-and-rescue operations in some coastal communities.
AP reported that 19 roofs were destroyed, while powerful winds damaged additional structures and uprooted trees.
Air and maritime transportation were also disrupted.
Authorities closed Hilo International Airport and Kona International Airport as the hurricane approached, while commercial ports across Hawaii Island, Maui County and Kauai were shut as officials prepared for dangerous winds and seas.
Emergency shelters opened and events were cancelled across the islands as residents were urged to remain indoors and avoid flooded roads.
Lala's large wind field meant islands away from its centre were also affected. Tropical-storm-force winds extended as far as 175 miles from the centre early Sunday, allowing the storm to bring rain and wind across Maui, Oahu and other islands even after moving away from the Big Island.
Forecasters said Lala should continue moving away from Hawaii, although its effects could persist as its broad circulation passes through the island chain.
The National Weather Service said flooding, strong winds, dangerous surf and falling trees remained hazards even as the storm weakened.
Forecasters also said Lala could regain hurricane strength later in the week once it moves well west of Hawaii.
For Hawaii, however, the immediate focus remained on restoring electricity, assessing structural damage and responding to flooding after the islands avoided the direct hurricane landfall officials had feared but still suffered widespread disruption.