Lala strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane on Saturday and is lashing parts of Hawaii with strong winds and heavy rain as the storm approaches a potentially historic landfall.
Lala will make its closest approach to Hawaii’s Big Island Saturday afternoon and may make landfall — if it does so as a hurricane, it would be the first hurricane to directly strike the state in more than 30 years.
The storm is packing winds of 75 mph swirling 120 miles south of Hilo as of Saturday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center.
A hurricane warning is in effect for the Big Island, where hurricane conditions — winds of at least 74 mph — are expected Saturday afternoon. The most likely areas to experience hurricane-force winds are on southern parts of the Big Island, which will be most exposed to Lala’s inner core.
Lala’s most serious threat is its torrential rain, which could spur flash flooding across the Hawaiian Islands. The National Hurricane Center has warned of life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in steep terrain.
