Tropical Storm Lala pounded Hawaii with extreme rainfall and damaging winds over the weekend, washing out roads and bridges, damaging at least 100 homes, and leaving nearly 192,000 Hawaiian Electric customers without power before beginning to move away Sunday evening.
The National Weather Service in Honolulu said Lala was about 150 nautical miles west-southwest of Lihue at 5 PM HST Sunday and moving west at 14 knots. Tropical storm warnings remained in effect for Kauai County, while warnings had been canceled for the other islands.
Catastrophic flash flooding on the big island of Hawaii’s southern coast. Hurricane Lala brushed by and did this! #hurricane #lala #hawaii pic.twitter.com/4RAO6GdMzU
— Jonathan Petramala (@jpetramala) August 16, 2026
The Big Island took some of the worst of the rain. More than 35 inches fell in some locations, according to the National Weather Service, while Maui received 10 to 15 inches and Oahu received 5 to 10 inches. Widespread wind damage included downed trees, damaged roofs and power lines.
Gov. Josh Green said Sunday that at least 100 homes had been damaged or lost during the storm. He described severe flooding on the Big Island, including a "river of water" that tore through Naalehu and road and bridge damage that left some areas cut off. Green said officials also expected numerous landslides because of the amount of rain.
Pāhala was one of the hardest-hit communities. Video posted Sunday by storm chaser Jordan Hall showed multiple bridges washed away along Highway 11 near Pāhala, portions of the road badly eroded and heavy equipment moving through mud, rocks and piles of trees and debris. Hall said crews were working to clear the roadways and reach communities cut off by the flooding.
Multiple bridges have been washed away along Highway 11 near Pahala, Hawaii. Roadway has been eroded also as crews are working to clear the way.@AaronRigsbyOSC @MyRadarWX #Pahala #Hawaii #Flooding #Hurricane #LaLa pic.twitter.com/6fz1mYgpz5
— Jordan Hall (@JordanHallWX) August 16, 2026
Floodwaters from the Paauau Stream also surged across Highway 11 near Pāhala, causing part of the roadway to collapse. Green said damaged roads and small bridges had isolated an area that included a hospital without power. Up to 2,500 residents were reportedly trapped in the area after the highway damage.
FIRST LOOK at Pahala, Hawaii after catastrophic flooding from Hurricane LaLa has destroyed bridges and trapped communities from outside resources. Hawaii DOT is working endlessly to clear the roadways the best they can in efforts to reach these communities. @MyRadarWX… pic.twitter.com/WM1C9ibdjW
— Jordan Hall (@JordanHallWX) August 16, 2026
Floodwaters were also raging through Hilo. AccuWeather video shot August 15 by Aaron Rigsby showed floodwaters slamming into a bridge in the city, while a separate before-and-after clip showed Rainbow Falls, normally a narrow cascade, transformed into a churning wall of muddy water.
Raging floodwaters slam into a bridge in Hilo, Hawaii, as relentless rain from Hurricane Lala sends waterways surging across the Big Island. 🌧️🌊 pic.twitter.com/AJ4GTnBnoG
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) August 16, 2026
The storm also caused widespread transportation problems. More than 190 flights into and out of Hawaii had been postponed and 52 canceled as of Sunday, according to Green, although airports across the state remained open. Numerous roads across Hawaii County were also closed because of fallen trees, downed utility lines and landslides.
Power was still out for a huge number of customers Sunday afternoon. Hawaiian Electric said approximately 191,800 customers remained without electricity as of 2:30 PM, despite crews having restored service to nearly 180,000 others.
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Oahu still had the most customers in the dark, about 130,100. Hawaii Island had another 45,900 without power, while roughly 15,800 remained out in Maui County. Hawaiian Electric said some customers in the hardest-hit rural parts of Hawaii Island should prepare for longer outages because flooding, closed roads, fallen trees and debris were keeping crews from reaching damaged equipment.
Several major transmission lines were also damaged on Hawaii Island, Maui and Oahu. Hawaiian Electric said those lines had to be repaired first because they connect power plants and other generating sources with communities across the islands. Some cross remote or mountainous terrain, meaning crews may have to hike in before repairs can begin.
4p #OahuOutage update: Our crews have restored power to ~141,000 customers as they continue to work through the powerful winds and heavy rainfall caused by Tropical Storm Lala. ~130,100 remain without electricity, majority in parts of Leeward Oahu, Honolulu, and Windward Oahu. We… pic.twitter.com/a2vgINGpUe
— Hawaiian Electric (@HwnElectric) August 17, 2026
The utility was also bringing in outside help. Roughly 100 workers from mainland electric companies were expected to arrive as early as Tuesday, with some able to begin work Wednesday. Hawaiian Electric said damage assessments were being conducted by helicopter and drone on Hawaii Island and Maui, with assessments on Oahu scheduled next.
Lala was moving farther west by Sunday evening, and conditions were beginning to improve, but the threat had not completely passed. The National Weather Service said heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms were still possible, and saturated areas remained vulnerable to additional flooding. A flood watch remained in effect across much of the state while tropical storm warnings continued for Kauai County.
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