HAWAII, HI — Hurricane Lala left Hawaii dealing with an extraordinary rain event after dumping about 1.3 trillion gallons of water on the islands from Aug. 14 to 16. State officials and researchers say that was enough to fill nearly 2 million Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The storm never made official landfall, but its close pass still brought severe impacts, including flooding, mudslides, downed trees and damaged power lines. At the peak of the storm, more than 200,000 residents were without electricity, and emergency crews have been working through debris and blocked roads as the cleanup phase begins.
What the rainfall looked like across the islands
The University of Hawaii said the storm was the most significant tropical cyclone to affect the state in decades. It measured average statewide rainfall at 11.4 inches, while Hawaiʻi County took in 66% of the total volume, or about 1.2 million pool equivalents and 833 million gallons.
One of the heaviest daily totals came on the Hamakua coast, where rainfall reached 32.1 inches on Aug. 15. Other parts of the state peaked by Aug. 16, including Maui County, which received the equivalent of 203,595 Olympic-sized pools of precipitation, according to the university’s data.
Tom Giambelluca, director of the Hawaiʻi Mesonet, said storms like Lala show why detailed rainfall tracking is so important in the islands. The measurements help explain why some areas flooded quickly while others were hit by repeated runoff and saturation over several days.
Damage, outages and the risk from more storms
Lala also produced winds as strong as 80 mph, and those gusts helped bring down trees and utility lines across the islands. Government officials say hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed, along with numerous roads and bridges.
Because the ground is now oversaturated, forecasters and officials warn that additional storms could trigger more flooding. Loose debris and fallen trees may also continue to create hazards on roadways while crews try to reopen access and restore services.
The storm’s effects have been serious enough that Governor Josh Green signed a formal request for a presidential emergency declaration for Hawaii. The request is aimed at securing federal assistance to support public health and safety as communities recover.
What residents should watch next
Even after the worst of Lala has passed, flooding concerns are not over. Officials say the combination of heavy rainfall, damaged infrastructure and unstable slopes could lead to new problems if more severe weather moves in.
Travel could remain difficult in some areas because cleanup crews are still clearing roads and bridges, and debris may continue to fall into already damaged routes. Residents in impacted areas may also see lingering outages, waterlogged ground and slow restoration work as utilities and local agencies assess the full scope of the damage.
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