RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Forecast maps show Tropical Storm Lala advancing toward Hawaii , with forecasters expecting it to reach hurricane strength as it approaches the Big Island.
Tropical Storm Lala was named Thursday morning, becoming the second named storm of the Central Pacific season and the ninth named storm to develop across the wider Pacific basin this year, Newsweek reported Thursday.
As of the most recent update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Lala was moving west-northwest around 10 miles per hour. It is expected to approach the Big Island on Saturday.
“Maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph (95 km/h) with higher gusts,” the agency reported. “Steady strengthening is forecast, and Lala is expected to become a hurricane as it approaches the Big Island.”
The NHC said a hurricane warning—meaning hurricane conditions are expected in the area—is in place for Hawaii County.
A tropical storm watch, signaling tropical storm conditions, is in place across Maui County, including the islands of Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe, it added.
Hurricane-force winds are forecast for the Big Island early Saturday, with tropical-storm-force winds possible in Maui County later in the day. The NHC warned that winds could be considerably stronger in mountainous and elevated areas.
The NHC said Lala could bring eight to 12 inches of rain to Maui and the Big Island, with isolated totals as high as 25 inches on the Big Island. Elsewhere in Hawaii, rainfall of four to six inches is expected, with maximum amounts up to eight inches. The heavy rain could trigger dangerous flooding and mudslides, particularly in steep terrain.
A flood watch has been issued for Maui and the Big Island from Friday evening through late Saturday night.
The NHC also warned that storm surge combined with high tides could push seawater inland, flooding normally dry areas along the coast. It added that the highest water levels are expected right along the coast, where storm surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves. The NHC said flooding could vary significantly from one location to another depending on when the surge arrives relative to the tide cycle.
Forecasters cautioned that swells generated by Lala are expected to reach Hawaii's east-facing shores on Friday before spreading westward and building through the weekend. The NHC said the swells could create life-threatening surf and rip currents.
“Please be careful,” Governor Josh Green said in a video posted to social media on Thursday. “Prepare, have 14 days of supplies at your house. Make sure you have your medicines in case the storm gets really serious.”
Green added: “I signed an emergency proclamation today to get extra resources for our first responders, who’ve been just great.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast an above-normal hurricane season in both the eastern and central Pacific.
In the eastern Pacific, forecasters called for 15 to 22 named storms, including 9 to 14 hurricanes and 5 to 9 major hurricanes, with a 70 percent chance of above-normal activity.
For the central Pacific, NOAA projected 5 to 13 tropical cyclones, including tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes.
NOAA said El Niño was a key factor behind the outlook, with conditions expected through the hurricane season. Forecasters said El Niño typically supports more activity in the eastern Pacific and can lead to “dramatically elevated” activity in the central Pacific.
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Tobias Meyjes and Robert Greenall
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