Lala strengthens into a hurricane and bears down on Hawaii's Big Island with heavy rain, winds

Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Associated Press Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — Tropical Storm Lala was already whipping and soaking Hawaii's Big Island early Saturday, and was expected to strengthen into a hurricane as it approaches land. The National Hurricane Center issued a rare hurricane warning for the island, where it would be the first to make landfall in 155 years.

Forecasters said higher elevations could get as much as 25 inches (63.5 centimeters) of rain. That could cause life-threatening mudslides in a mountainous area where people live off the grid in improvised housing, and authorities urged them to find safe shelters quickly.

"This is an enormous storm," Gov. Josh Green said. Tropical storm force winds extended outward for as much as 220 miles (350 km), and were expected to hit the islands of Oahu and Kauai by Sunday morning.

READ MORE: Hurricane warning issued for the Big Island of Hawaii as Tropical Storm Lala approaches

Destructive flooding and even wildfires kicked up by the strong winds were possible in the islands. A hurricane warning was issued for the Big Island, and a tropical storm warning was in effect for Maui County, which includes the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe.

According to a University of Hawaii atmospheric scientist's research of newspaper accounts, a Category 3 hurricane hit the northeast corner of the island in 1871. The latest forecast has Lala striking "very close to the southern tip of the Big Island," said Vanessa Almanza, a weather service meteorologist in Honolulu.

Officials and residents braced for Lala regardless of whether Hawaii takes a direct hit. Shelters were scheduled to open, and various events were canceled.

"It doesn't take landfall to create destruction," Almanza said, noting that a lot of the impacts are felt outside the hurricane's center.

The hurricane center predicted 8 to 12 inches (20.3 to 30.5 centimeters) of rainfall totals across Maui and lower elevations of the Big Island, and 4 to 6 inches (10.2 to 15.2 centimeters) across the island chain.

The center also warned that the storm could cause "life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain," along with a dangerous storm surge and ocean swells "likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions."

As of 2 a.m. in Hawaii, Tropical Storm Lala was located about 140 miles (225 kilometers) southeast of South Point, Hawaii, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph) and was moving toward the west-northwest at 13 mph (20 kph), the hurricane center said.

State Rep. Jeanné Kapela traveled from Honolulu to be closer to her constituents on the Big Island and urged people to remain alert.

The southern end of the island is remote and rural, with agriculture including coffee and cattle, but it's growing in population because of its affordability. Kapela said she was especially worried about people who live off the grid in unpermitted structures.