Lala dumps 3.5 feet of rain on Hawaii, damaging over 100 homes

Lala weakens, but Hawaii faces major damage

Hurricane Lala weakened to a tropical storm on Sunday after raking Hawaii without making landfall, but its wind and rain left a wide trail of damage across the island chain.

The storm brushed the southern portion of the Big Island from about 30 miles away at its closest approach around 5 p.m. local time Saturday, according to the National Hurricane Center. It had strengthened to a Category 1 storm Saturday before weakening.

By Monday, Lala had moved away from Hawaii and was tracking west over the open Pacific. The last rain bands left Kauai early Monday, giving residents and officials time to begin assessing the damage.

At least one flood death confirmed

At least one person died after Lala brought torrential rain and destructive flooding to Hawaii.

Officials discovered the body of a 90-year-old woman who “perished in the flood," Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said at a Monday news conference. The woman had been reported missing in a neighborhood in the south of the Big Island, and rescue crews from several agencies, including the National Guard, were sent into the search effort.

Earlier, Green said it was not clear whether a vehicle wreck that killed one person Saturday in the South Point area of the Big Island was storm-related.

The storm created dangerous conditions before, during and after its closest pass, with flooding, landslides, road collapses and widespread power failures affecting several islands.

Homes swept off foundations in the Big Island’s south

More than 100 homes were “damaged and lost" in the storm on the island of Hawaii, also known as the Big Island, Green said Sunday.

Officials said heavy rain and wind were strong enough to sweep around 100 homes off their foundations. In the Kaʻū area, floodwater pushed at least two homes off their bases, according to Volpe. One home was carried a few hundred yards away.

A woman trying to reach her vehicle outside that home was swept up by floodwater and taken to the hospital with moderate injuries. A second home was partly shoved off its base, based on eyewitness accounts, while authorities continued working to determine exactly what happened.

The water moved with force. Homes shifted. Roads broke. Mud and rock poured through communities.

Nearly three and a half feet of rain in the mountains

Lala produced exceptionally heavy rainfall across parts of the state.

Some places received nearly 3 feet of rain, while higher-altitude areas on the Big Island received as much as 35 inches. In the wake of the storm, reports showed more than 3 and a half feet of rain in the Big Island’s mountains, enough to trigger landslides and flash floods.

Maui’s mountainous areas saw up to 2 feet of rain.

The heavy rain loosened steep slopes, especially in areas where some residents live off the grid in improvised housing. Floodwater, mud, rock and debris became the main agents of destruction in the Big Island’s southern communities.

Flooding and mud caused the worst damage

Green said hurricane-force wind gusts knocked down trees and damaged roofs, but the flooding caused the most serious impacts in the south of the Big Island.

Josh Green: “It’s the flood and the mud and the rock that poured through."

Farther south, Green said a “river of water" went through the Naalehu area, washing away “quite a lot."

Videos showed streets flooded by torrential rainfall on the Big Island. Floodwater covered roads, filled low spots and pushed debris through communities.

Pāhala Highway collapse cuts off access

On the southeastern side of the Big Island, parts of the Pāhala Highway collapsed overnight into Sunday, cutting off critical access to an area where one of the region’s only hospitals is located.

Green said the wreckage created a new waterfall, damaged small bridges and cut off power. Aerial footage showed parts of the highway destroyed by what appeared to be a massive landslide.

The collapse occurred after floodwaters from the Paʻauʻau Stream breached a rock wall and surged onto the highway, causing it to buckle.

Deborah Funai Brown, a lifelong resident of Pāhala, Hawaii, told CNN affiliate KHNL/KGMB that she saw the highway collapse. She called the event “catastrophic."

Deborah Funai Brown: “We’ve always been stuck in the middle of nowhere so you kind of feel forgotten about when you’re out here, like you’re on an island by yourself."

The damage left up to 2,500 residents trapped.

Bridges destroyed and roads closed

The storm left mangled power lines, blocked roads and damaged bridges across the Big Island.

Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda said a record number of road closures and prolonged power outages were reported on the Big Island. Six bridges were destroyed or “almost destroyed" in the Kaʻū area, which Alameda described as “devastation."

Many roads across the county remained closed because of downed trees, utility lines and landslides, according to the mayor’s office.

Damage to roads and several small bridges also made some places hard to reach, Green said.

Ambulance crew rescued from floodwater

An ambulance crew responding to a reported emergency on the Big Island became stranded when floodwater overtook the vehicle and pushed it against a guard rail, Volpe said.

The crew escaped by climbing on top of the ambulance, then into a National Guard high-water vehicle that had accompanied them.

The rescue showed how quickly emergency work became hazardous during the storm. Roads were not only wet. Some were unstable, blocked or overwhelmed by moving water.

Power outages spread across the islands

More than 200,000 homes and businesses were without power by midday Sunday, according to PowerOutage.us. Nearly two-thirds of customers on the Big Island were affected.

By Monday afternoon local time, about 100,000 homes and businesses were still without power across the Hawaiian islands, according to PowerOutage.com.

Hurricane-force wind gusts swept across Hawaii, Honolulu and Maui counties. At least three hospitals were operating on generator power, Green said.

Power restoration in some areas could take days or longer because major transmission lines were down, Alameda said. Hawaiian Electric said main lines must be repaired on the Big Island, Maui and Oahu.

Honolulu responds to hundreds of storm calls

Honolulu, HI, on Oahu, was bearing the brunt of tropical storm conditions spreading westward over the island chain on Sunday.

The Honolulu Fire Department had received more than 600 weather-related responses by noon local time Sunday, including 147 reports of downed trees. A city statement also reported roofs blown off, downed power lines and one swimmer rescue.

In Honolulu County, crews conducted about 160 ocean rescues between Friday and Saturday evening, according to Mayor Rick Blangiardi. Emergency medical services also treated three people who fell off or through their roofs while reportedly trying to repair damage during the storm.

More than 30 blown roofs were reported on Oahu as of Saturday evening. Earlier reports cited 19 roofs lost in the “enormous storm," according to the governor.

Wind hits roofs and neighborhoods

Cynthia Channels, a local organizer who works with unhoused people and families in need, drove around Oahu in her pickup truck to assess damage. For her, the wind was the worst part of the storm.

Cynthia Channels: “The winds are really bad, people’s shingles are falling off the roofs."

The wind stripped roofs, brought down trees and scattered debris. In coastal and exposed areas, powerful gusts combined with heavy rain to make conditions dangerous even far from the storm center.

Punaluʻu Bake Shop severely damaged

The Punaluʻu Bake Shop in Naalehu, HI, a tourist hotspot and major local employer, was severely damaged.

Zachary Kennedy, manager of the Hawaiian sweet bread bakery, said water rushed through the factories and retail store, leaving behind about 3 feet of mud.

Zachary Kennedy: “This is a different level of damage, it’s literally catastrophic."

The damage reached beyond roads and homes. Businesses that anchor local communities were also hit by floodwater and mud.

Residents describe uncertainty and exhaustion

Kate McLellan, a resident on Oahu’s North Shore, said she was still waiting for the worst of the storm after losing power Sunday morning. She remained focused on weather updates.

Her community had already been hit by back-to-back storms with heavy rain and high winds in March and April, keeping residents alert and uneasy.

Kate McLellan: Memories of that storm were “giving that same uncertainty and hesitation and panic and anxiety."

On Kauai, Nicole Clark sheltered in place and prepared to remain there after her children’s school was canceled Monday because a tree blocked a road. She said she was comforted by the sense of community across Hawaii during storms.

Warnings remain as Lala moves away

Much of the state remained under a flash flood warning on Sunday, though the National Hurricane Center downgraded the Big Island to a flood advisory.

Tropical storm warnings were in effect for Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Kauai and Niihau, with destructive flooding still possible.

The heaviest rain Sunday was falling on Lanai, Molokai and Oahu, while the highest wind gusts topped 100 mph at the Mauna Kea volcano on the Big Island, according to weather service meteorologist Stephen Parker.

As of 11 a.m. in Hawaii, Lala was centered about 140 miles west of Honolulu with top sustained winds of 65 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The storm was moving west-northwest at about 16 mph.

Forecasters expected Lala’s strength to change little through Monday, with the possibility it could become a hurricane again Tuesday or Wednesday after moving well west of the island chain.

Officials urge people to stay home

Parker said the safest choice was to remain indoors until remaining threats were cleared.

Stephen Parker: “Basically, the best thing to do right now is just stay home for a bit longer."

Stephen Parker: “The storm won’t last forever and once those kind of threats get cleaned up, it will be safe to be out and about again."

Green said people were safe after the worst of the storm, but the recovery would be substantial.

Josh Green: “Everyone is safe and healthy."

Josh Green: “But boy, a lot of work ahead."

Schools and offices remain closed

Hawaii’s state and county offices, schools, courts and judiciary offices were closed Monday.

County buildings, state buildings and schools on the Big Island were expected to remain closed through Tuesday “at least," Green said. He cited severe damage to some schools and widespread power outages in the areas hit hardest.

Shelters had been opened as Lala approached. Events were canceled, and ranchers were urged to leave cattle in pastures rather than structures that might collapse.

Warm ocean conditions helped Lala stay strong

Tropical storms approaching Hawaii usually encounter cooler ocean temperatures before reaching the islands. Lala stayed over warmer water because of an ongoing marine heat wave extending to California and a developing Super El Niño.

That warmer ocean environment helped the storm remain strong as it passed south of the state. The eyewall just missed landfall, so it did not weaken over land. Its winds pounded mountainsides, while bands of rain blew nearly sideways.

Powerful waves struck the Big Island’s coast.

Brown water advisory issued statewide

Hawaii is under a statewide brown water advisory because contaminated stormwater could enter coastal waters and streams.

The advisory reflects the amount of runoff produced by the storm. Mud, debris, floodwater and possible pollutants can move from land into the ocean after intense rainfall and flooding.

The storm came three years after Hawaii experienced the deadliest wildfire in the United States in more than a century, and many residents were still dealing with the aftermath of devastating floods in March.

Main impacts from Lala

• At least one flood death confirmed after officials found the body of a 90-year-old woman on the Big Island.
• More than 100 homes damaged or lost on the island of Hawaii, also known as the Big Island.
• Up to 3 and a half feet of rain reported in the Big Island’s mountains.
• Up to 2 feet of rain reported in Maui’s mountainous areas.
• Six bridges destroyed or almost destroyed in the Kaʻū area.
• Pāhala Highway collapsed after floodwaters surged onto the road.
• About 100,000 homes and businesses still without power Monday afternoon local time.
• More than 600 weather-related fire department responses in Honolulu by noon Sunday.
• 160 ocean rescues
  Updated: Aug 18, 2026
  Published by: Weather U.S. | About Us