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Lala becomes Category 1 hurricane as it bears down on Hawaii’s Big Island

▶ Watch Video: What to expect as Tropical Storm Lala nears Hawaii's Big Island Hurricane Lala is now a Category 1 storm as it approaches Hawaii's Big Island, where it will bring heavy rain, life-threatening flooding and mudslides, as well as dangerous surf and rip currents to the area, forecasters said. The weather system strengthened into a hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph Saturday. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when its maximum sustained winds reach 74 mph.In a video posted to social media Saturday morning local time, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said the Big Island was seeing about 2 inches of rain per hour. Green said somewhere between 5,000 and 6,000 Hawaiian Electric customers had lost power so far. "People should be sheltering in place now," Green said. In the National Hurricane Center's latest advisory, Lala was located about 65 miles south-southeast of South Point, Hawaii — the southernmost point of the Big Island — and 275 miles southeast of Honolulu. It was moving northwest at 8 mph.  The hurricane center said that Lala was "slowing down and turning northwest as it begins to interact" with the Big Island, noting that it could see "erratic motion" during this period. It was still unclear if Lala's core would make landfall in Hawaii. A hurricane has not made landfall in the state since Hurricane Iniki in 1992. A satellite image of Hurricane Lala at 5 p.m. ET on Aug. 15, 2026, as it bears down on Hawaii.  NOAA
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