- Canada issued a travel advisory for Hawaii County to avoid non-essential travel due to Tropical Storm Lala.
- The storm caused one fatality and three traumatic injuries while triggering a state of emergency.
- Airports in Hilo and Kona closed as dozens of flights were canceled on August fifteenth, twenty twenty-six.
Canada updated its travel advice on August 13, 2026 at 16:40 ET, telling travelers to "Avoid non-essential travel" to Hawaii County because of Tropical Storm Lala. The rest of the United States stayed at "Take normal security precautions." The split was already public by midweek.
The federal advisory pointed to heavy rain, violent winds, flash flooding, landslides and interruptions to essential services. The weather risk was not limited to wind. It also reached roads, shelters and power lines.
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The county issued shelter and emergency preparations guidance on Aug. 13, then opened shelters at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14. Officials moved before the heaviest rain arrived. They were already bracing.
Mayor C. Kimo Alameda said one person died in a head-on collision at South Point, and three people suffered traumatic injuries after a tree fell in Puna. Governor Josh Green, M.D., said, "Lala is an enormous storm. we have declared a state of emergency to ensure we have sufficient resources to clear debris and take other measures to prepare." The stated purpose was clear.
The county warned of tropical-storm-force winds of 39 to 73 mph, rainfall of 5 to 10 inches and isolated totals of up to 25 inches. Flooding stayed at the front of the response.
Routine services tightened next. Air and road traffic followed.
| Area | Details |
|---|---|
| Warning status | The National Hurricane Center dropped the earlier hurricane warning to a Tropical Storm Warning for the county, and its Aug. 16 advisories still kept the area under warning. |
| County services | Officials canceled camping permits for Friday and Saturday nights, closed solid waste facilities on Saturday and stopped Hele-On bus and paratransit services on Saturday, Aug. 15, and Sunday, Aug. 16. |
| Airports and flights | Hilo International Airport and Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport closed on Aug. 15. Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines canceled dozens of inter-island and transpacific flights. |
| Roads | Highway 19 and Highway 11 closed after flooding and downed trees. |
| Storm strength | NOAA said maximum sustained winds reached 75 to 80 mph at the peak and stood at 70 mph on Sunday. |
The center stayed south of Honolulu as more rain loomed
At 2:00 AM HST on Aug. 16, the storm sat about 130 miles south of Honolulu and moved northwest at 14 mph. Flood watches remained in effect statewide. The center kept sliding west.
Forecasters said it may restrengthen as it moved west of the islands early next week. The Big Island had gone 155 years without a direct hurricane landfall, dating to 1871. That history sat in the background.
The storm formed on Aug. 13, intensified to a Category 1 hurricane by Aug. 15 and then weakened on Aug. 16. The pace left little room.
