One person died as Tropical Storm Lala hit Hawaii. Hawaiian Electric (HE) warned of weeks-long outages, raising concerns about repair costs and power restoration timelines.
HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES INC currently carries an Alpha Score of n/a, giving AlphaScala's model a neutral read on the setup.
One person died as Tropical Storm Lala passed near the Big Island on Saturday, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said on X. The storm weakened from hurricane strength to a tropical storm. The US National Hurricane Center still expects additional rainfall of 1 to 3 inches across the Big Island and windward Maui, with maximum storm totals reaching 30 to 35 inches over the Big Island.
Almost 60,000 customers were without power Sunday morning, according to PowerOutage.com. Hawaiian Electric Industries (HE), the state's main utility, said in a statement that power for some parts of Hawaii Island might remain out for “weeks or even months.” A company spokesperson said help from mainland electric utilities is expected to begin Tuesday. About 106 flights into and out of Honolulu and Hilo were canceled Sunday as of 3:30 p.m. in New York, according to FlightAware.
The tropical storm warning was discontinued for Hawaii County. It remains in effect for Maui County and Oahu. Kauai County also remains under the warning.
“This rainfall will produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain,” the hurricane center said. “The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline.”
Maximum sustained winds fell to near 65 miles per hour (104 kilometers per hour) with higher gusts, the hurricane center said. Some restrengthening is forecast by midweek.
The Big Island has gone more than a century without a hurricane strike. Hurricane Iniki struck Kauai in 1992. In 2023, Hurricane Dora passed south of the state. It helped set up wind conditions that fanned the Maui fires, which killed more than 100 people.
No hurricanes struck the US mainland in 2025. Two tropical storms have hit the Gulf Coast in 2026 so far.
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