KAPAA, Hawaii -- Hawaii avoided a direct hit from Hurricane Lala this weekend, but the islands were pounded with rain and wind, and power was out in several areas of the state Sunday morning.
If it had connected with the Big Island, Lala would have been the first hurricane to make landfall in 155 years. But the storm passed just south of the island's tip, according to the Associated Press, with sustained winds of about 75 mph.
Still, about 88,000 customers had lost power on the Big Island, Oahu and Maui County, which includes the islands of Lanai and Molokai. Hawaiian Electric said Saturday night that its crews had been hampered by conditions, but it was posting updates to X and to maps on its site (Kauai is managed by a separate utility). It was unclear if any major resorts were impacted.
The Big Island's airports at Kona and Hilo were closed Saturday, but a post from the state's Department of Transportation said that both had reopened Sunday. Fifty-six percent of flights into Kona Airport had been canceled Saturday, according to FlightAware.
As of Sunday morning, some flights in and out of Honolulu Airport had been impacted; about 13% of flights into the airport and 11% out had been canceled. Twenty-seven percent of Hawaiian Airlines flights had been canceled as of 8 a.m. Hawaii time Sunday.
The state's DOT had also closed ports across the islands as Lala moved westward. Norwegian Cruise Line's interisland cruise ship, the Pride of America, appeared to be riding out the storm west and north of the islands, according to Cruise Mapper.
Lala deteriorated into a tropical storm, but it was still producing heavy winds and rain. As of 8 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time, the National Hurricane Center said that Lala was expected to produce another 1 to 3 inches of rain on the Big Island, with a maximum storm total of 30 to 35 inches.
The Kauai Emergency Management Agency warned that a flood watch, tropical storm warning and high surf advisory were in effect.
Swells were expected to cause life-threatening surf and rip currents.