BBC News
· collected 2026-08-16 · by Hafsa Khalil, Brandon Drenon, Ben Rich
Hawaii is experiencing flash floods and power outages after Hurricane Lala skirted the Big Island, with strong winds and torrential rain persisting. As of Sunday morning, nearly 115,000 customers had lost electricity statewide, while over 190 flights were postponed due to the storm. The National Weather Service has issued dire forecasts for areas on the Big Island's south-east, warning of "major rainfall flooding" that may prompt evacuations and rescues. Hawaii Governor Josh Green has urged residents to be safe and avoid traveling, with officials conducting a search and rescue operation in affected areas.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-16,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Here's a summary of the news story:
Hurricane Lala brought strong winds and heavy rainfall to Hawaii's Big Island on Saturday, causing flooding, mudslides, and power outages. The storm, which intensified into a Category 1 hurricane, had maximum sustained winds of 120 km/h and could dump up to 35 inches of rain in some areas. Although the eye of the storm passed over the island's southern tip without making landfall, residents were still warned of potential life-threatening conditions, including mudslides and flash flooding. As a result, tens of thousands of properties lost power, and at least one person died in a weather-related car accident. The storm is expected to gradually weaken as it moves westward, but officials are still urging people to prepare for further disruptions.
Written for “Hurricane Lala Hits Hawaii” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.
- Published
Hawaii is facing flash floods that may have swept some homes away after category one Hurricane Lala skirted Big Island, as it continues to grapple with strong winds and torrential rain.
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it → publish → winds
Tens of thousands of properties have been left without power and officials have warned people to prepare for "life-threatening" conditions, including mudslides, as the storm continues moving westward to the south of Hawaii.
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storm → leave → Hawaii
Lala gained hurricane strength on Saturday, with wind speeds since peaking at 91mph (147km/h).
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speeds → gain → mph
It could dump up to 35in (89cm) of rain in places.
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It → dump → places
Hawaii Governor Josh Green said on Saturday that one person had died in a weather-related car accident on Big Island, where many roads have been impacted.
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roads → say → Island
Hawaii County said that as of 01:00 local time (12:00 GMT) on Sunday, two areas on Big Island had been hit by flash flooding, adding "several occupied homes may have been swept off their foundations".
Mayor Kimo Alameda said the county's civil defense agency had initiated a search and rescue operation to find people whose homes may have been swept away in the floods.
"What makes this very challenging is that there's rushing water, there's debris, there's boulders on the road, and it's dark," he explained.
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he → say → road
Videos posted by Hawaii's Department of Transportation show roads flooded with fast-moving water and blocked with fallen trees.
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Videos → post → trees
Green warned residents to brace for "an incredible amount of water".
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Green → warn → water
"Please be very safe... you do not want to be out on the roads," he said in a video update on social media.
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he → want → media
According to the governor, 190 flights have been postponed.
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flights → accord → governor
At Ellison Onizuka Kona International - Big Island's largest airport - 40% of flights were grounded on Saturday, according to tracker Flightaware.
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% → ground → Flightaware
Some 80% of flights were called off at its other main airport, Hilo International.
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% → call → airport
The most dire forecasts from the National Weather Service (NWS) have been issued for areas within Big Island's south-east, which came closest to the hurricane's centre.
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which → issue → centre
"Major rainfall flooding may prompt many evacuations and rescues," the NWS said, adding that rivers and tributaries "may rapidly overflow their banks in multiple places".
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rivers → prompt → places
Nearly 115,000 customers had lost electricity on Hawaii as of Sunday morning local time, according to tracker PowerOutage.
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customers → lose → PowerOutage
Green said three hospitals had also lost power but had backup generators.
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hospitals → say → generators
In Maui, some residents have also been left without water supply as of Saturday afternoon.
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residents → leave → afternoon
"Crews responded to the area but were unable to continue their assessment due to inclement weather and multiple downed trees," a county statement said, adding crews would return once it was safe.
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it → respond → weather
Meteorologist Jennifer Myers, who lives in Hilo, eastern Big Island, said landslides had already cut off some roads, while power lines had been ripped down by falling trees.
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lines → live → trees
"I'm looking at the river right now, and it's really, really high," she told the BBC about the view from her apartment of the Wailuku River as it meets Hilo Bay.
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it → look → Bay
The hurricane did not make landfall on Big Island, as had been thought possible, instead coming within 30 miles (48km) of its South Point.
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hurricane → make → Point
The National Hurricane Center said: "Damaging winds and heavy rain will persist across the Big Island throughout tonight and spread westwards across the smaller islands on Sunday."
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winds → say → Sunday
Residents were repeatedly urged by officials to prepare for the storm early.
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Residents → urge → storm
Local message boards on Facebook show residents filling bags with sand to protect their homes and inquiring about whether stores remained open in the early hours of Saturday.
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stores → show → Saturday
Hawaii County's Civil Defense Agency said public shelters were available in every part on Big Island.
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shelters → say → Island
Hurricanes are categorised on a scale of one to five, with a category one storm such as Lala on the lower end of the scale, with minimal damage expected.
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damage → categorise → scale
Iniki, a powerful category four storm, was the last hurricane to hit Hawaii back in 1992.
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Iniki → hit → 1992
It caused six deaths and $3bn in damage after making landfall on the southern coast of Kauai.
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It → cause → Kauai
This year has seen a strong El Niño - a periodically occurring area of unusually warm surface water - develop in the Pacific, driven in part by climate change.
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Niño → see → change
As hurricanes and typhoons feed off warm sea waters, this spike in ocean temperatures could facilitate a higher number of storms that grow to have a greater intensity.
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that → feed → intensity
