Lala Batters Hawaii – NASA Science

Lala Batters Hawaii – NASA Science

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The Island of Hawai╩╗i narrowly avoided a direct landfall by Hurricane Lala in mid-August 2026. The storm nonetheless delivered serious damage as it passed just south of the island on August 15 (above, right) as a category 1 storm on the┬аSaffir-Simpson wind scale.

Lala brought rainfall totals exceeding 20 inches (50 centimeters) to parts of the island, causing flash flooding and ongoing mudflow risks. The highest rainfall total for the stormтАФ43.55 inches (110.6 centimeters) as of the morning of August 17тАФwas recorded at Laup─Бhoehoe, on the coast northwest of Hilo. Lala downed trees, damaged bridges, and knocked homes off their foundations. Coastal areas were pummeled by large waves, while the summit of Mauna Kea, over 13,000 feet (4,000 meters) above sea level, experienced blizzard conditions.

By early afternoon on August 16, when the other image (left) was acquired, the storm had tracked northwest, roughly parallel to the island chain, and was southwest of Kaua╩╗i. Lala had decreased in intensity to a tropical storm, with sustained winds of 65 miles (105 kilometers) per hour, according to the┬аNational Hurricane Center.

While the Island of Hawai╩╗i took the brunt of the storm, other islands also saw destructive effects. Strong winds caused widespread power outages, with more than 220,000 customers statewide without power as of the afternoon of August 16, according to news reports. Across the islands, wind and rain damaged infrastructure, and floodwaters and debris rendered roads impassable.

It has been an active tropical cyclone season in the Eastern Pacific so far in 2026, meteorologists note, consistent with what scientists expect during an El Ni├▒o, which has been underway as of mid-June. Warm water in the equatorial PacificтАФthe hallmark of El Ni├▒oтАФand the moisture and energy it transfers to the atmosphere help fuel nascent tropical storms. Lack of wind shear, another typical El Ni├▒o pattern in this region, also encourages tropical storms to develop and strengthen. The Atlantic hurricane season, in contrast, has been relatively calm, as greater wind shear over the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea during an El Ni├▒o inhibits hurricane formation by dissipating the upward motion of heat.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using VIIRS data from NASA┬аEOSDIS LANCE,┬аGIBS/Worldview, and the┬аJoint Polar Satellite System┬а(JPSS). Story by Lindsey Doermann.

The spiraling clouds of a tropical storm are centered near the Hawaiian island of Kaua╩╗i.



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