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Lala strengthens into a hurricane; hurricane forecast updates
USA Today • • nation
Key Points:
- Hurricane Lala has strengthened and is approaching Hawaii's Big Island, with hurricane-force wind gusts expected, especially at higher elevations, and conditions rapidly worsening.
- At 8 a.m. Hawaii time, Lala was about 90 miles southeast of South Point with sustained winds of 70 mph and is forecasted to move near or over the southern Big Island later Saturday.
- If Lala makes landfall as a hurricane, it would be the first recorded hurricane to hit the Big Island and the first hurricane landfall in Hawaii in over 30 years.
- Heavy rain poses a significant flooding threat, with up to 25 inches possible on the Big Island, prompting warnings for residents to shelter in place and avoid travel during flooding conditions.
- Other Hawaiian islands including Oahu, Maui, and Kauai are under tropical storm warnings and flood watches, with Lala expected to weaken to a tropical storm as it moves past them.
