Hawaii Faces Rare Hurricane Strike Threatening Flooding Rain

By Brian K. Sullivan

Aug 15, 2026 (Bloomberg) –Pacific storm Lala strengthened into a hurricane as it edged closer to Hawaii’s Big Island, where it will make possible landfall on Saturday, the US National Hurricane Center said.

Lala’s top winds reached 75 miles (121 kilometers) per hour, up from 65 mph earlier, as it closed to within 85 miles of South Point, Hawaii, the center said in an advisory. The Category 1 hurricane was already raking the island chain with stiff winds and rain Saturday morning.

“Hurricane conditions expected later today” on the Big Island of Hawaii, Robbie Berg, a