[NASA] Lala Batters Hawaii

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3. Lala Batters Hawaii

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August 16, 2026

August 15, 2026

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The spiraling clouds of a tropical storm are centered near the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi.

NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin

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The spiraling clouds of a hurricane appear near the Hawaiian Islands. Its eye is just south of the Island of Hawaiʻi.

NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin

August 16, 2026August 15, 2026

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The spiraling clouds of a tropical storm are centered near the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi.

NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin

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The spiraling clouds of a hurricane appear near the Hawaiian Islands. Its eye is just south of the Island of Hawaiʻi.

NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin

August 16, 2026

August 15, 2026

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Image Details

Lala skirts south of the Island of Hawaiʻi as a category 1 hurricane in the right image, acquired by the 

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 (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the 

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 satellite on August 15, 2026, at about 1:45 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time (23:45 Universal Time). The storm decreased in intensity while tracking northwest and was a tropical storm when the 

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 on the 

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 satellite captured the left image about 24 hours later. NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin.

The Island of Hawaiʻi narrowly avoided a direct landfall by Hurricane Lala in mid-August 2026. The storm nonetheless delivered serious damage as it passed just south of the island on August 15 (above, right) as a category 1 storm on the 

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Lala brought rainfall totals exceeding 20 inches (50 centimeters) to parts of the island, causing flash flooding and ongoing mudflow risks. The highest rainfall total for the storm—

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(110.6 centimeters) as of the morning of August 17—was recorded at Laupāhoehoe, on the coast northwest of Hilo. Lala downed trees, damaged bridges, and knocked

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. Coastal areas were pummeled by large waves, while the summit of Mauna Kea, over 13,000 feet (4,000 meters) above sea level, experienced

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By early afternoon on August 16, when the other image (left) was acquired, the storm had tracked northwest, roughly parallel to the island chain, and was southwest of Kauaʻi. Lala had decreased in intensity to a tropical storm, with sustained winds of 65 miles (105 kilometers) per hour, according to the 

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While the Island of Hawaiʻi took the brunt of the storm, other islands also saw destructive effects. Strong winds caused widespread power outages, with more than

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statewide without power as of the afternoon of August 16, according to news reports.

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, wind and rain damaged infrastructure, and floodwaters and debris rendered roads impassable.

It has been an active tropical cyclone season in the Eastern Pacific so far in 2026,

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, consistent with what scientists expect during an

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, which has been

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as of mid-June. Warm water in the equatorial Pacific—the hallmark of El Niño—and the moisture and energy it transfers to the atmosphere help fuel nascent tropical storms. Lack of

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, another typical El Niño pattern in this region, also encourages tropical storms to develop and strengthen. The Atlantic hurricane season, in contrast, has been

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, as greater wind shear over the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea during an El Niño inhibits hurricane formation by dissipating the upward motion of heat.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using VIIRS data from NASA 

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, 

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, and the 

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 (JPSS). Story by Lindsey Doermann.

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August 15, 2026

JPEG (2.54 MB)

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August 16, 2026

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References & Resources

• AccuWeather (2026, August 17)
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  . Accessed August 17, 2026.
• Colorado State University (2026, August 17)
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  . Accessed August 17, 2026.
• Honolulu Civil Beat (2026, August 16)
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  . Accessed August 17, 2026.
• National Hurricane Center (2026, August 17)
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  . Accessed August 17, 2026.
• Yale Climate Connections (2026, August 12)
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  . Accessed August 17, 2026.

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