Hurricane Lala weakens to a tropical storm, but flooding persists in Hawaii

Hurricane Lala has weakened from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm after passing south of Hawaii, but meteorologists warned that hurricane-force gusts could still batter the islands with flash flooding and punishing winds.

On Saturday, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued a hurricane warning for the Big Island, which has not suffered a direct hurricane landfall in 155 years.

But as tropical storm winds soared west from Maui to Oahu and Kauai on Sunday, Hurricane Lala drifted past, edging the Hawaiian coast and just escaping primary impact zones.

Still, pounding waves crashed against the shore of the Big Island. Wild squalls bent tall palm trees, and fierce sideways rain swelled rivers.

Up to one metre (three feet) of rain was expected on higher windward slopes. Such a torrent could turn rivers into turbulent floods and cause life-threatening mudslides. The NHC said in an advisory published early Sunday morning that rainfall totals could even reach up to 90cm (35 inches) in some areas of the Big Island.

More than 60,000 households were without power, and three hospitals switched to generator power, Hawaii’s Governor Josh Green said Saturday evening.

At least one person died in a car accident in the South Point area of the Big Island, while 19 roofs were lost in the “enormous storm”. 

Christine Matsuda, who lives in Waimea, on the northern side of the island, told the Associated Press that “big gusts every few minutes rattle the whole house”.

Tropical storm warnings remain active for Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Kauai, and Niihau. Dire conditions continue to lash the Hawaiian coast as monster waves drive coastal erosion and severe flooding plagues communities across the US state. The westward-moving storm raises fears among residents regarding heavy floods and strong winds that could spark catastrophic wildfires in the Aloha State.