Tropical Storm Lala Closes In on Hawaii and Could Become a Hurricane

Tropical Storm Lala is moving toward Hawaii's Big Island and could grow into a Category 1 hurricane by early Saturday morning. The storm brings the threat of heavy rain, strong winds, and dangerous flooding. The National Hurricane Center warned that flooding and mudslides could be life-threatening. Residents are being urged to get ready as quickly as possible.

As of Friday, Lala is still a tropical storm with wind gusts reaching about 60 miles per hour, which is roughly 95 kilometers per hour. To be called a Category 1 hurricane, a storm's winds must hit at least 74 miles per hour. Forecasters are watching closely to see if Lala crosses that line before it reaches land.

Meteorologist Liam Tsamous works at the National Weather Service's office in Honolulu. He says the storm could make landfall on the Big Island this weekend, or it might pass just south of it. Either way, people in the area should expect heavy rain and strong winds. Officials have already issued a hurricane warning for the Big Island, meaning hurricane conditions are expected to arrive.

The warning includes rainfall of up to 25 inches and a storm surge of up to three feet. A storm surge is when ocean water is pushed onto land by a storm's winds. Smaller islands in Maui County are under a tropical storm warning. The National Hurricane Center told residents that preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.

Hurricanes hitting Hawaii directly are very rare. Records going back to 1949 show that only two hurricanes have ever passed directly over the main Hawaiian Islands. Category 4 Hurricane Iniki struck the island of Kauaʻi in 1992, and Category 1 Hurricane Dot hit Kauaʻi in 1959. If Lala strikes the Big Island directly, it would be the first hurricane to do so in more than 30 years.

Hurricane Iniki is also famous for something unexpected. Director Steven Spielberg was filming the movie Jurassic Park on Hawaii's islands when Iniki struck. Some of the storm scenes shown in the film were actually real footage from that hurricane. Lala could make a similarly unforgettable mark on Hawaiian history.

Scientists say a weather pattern called El Niño is partly responsible for Lala's strength. El Niño is a climate event that warms ocean water in the Pacific and reduces wind shear — a change in wind speed or direction at different heights in the sky. Both of those conditions help hurricanes grow stronger and last longer. In the Atlantic Ocean, El Niño actually has the opposite effect and makes hurricanes less likely.