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5h ago

Lala Re‑Intensifies Offshore as Invest 90E Nears Tropical Cyclone Status

Warmer Pacific waters from a strengthening El Niño increase the chance the developing system could bring rain or wind that would complicate Big Island recovery.

Satellite imagery Wednesday afternoon captured a region of thunderstorms about 1,500 miles southwest of Honolulu that was forecast to strengthen to a tropical cyclone later this week. Major Hurricane Lala can be seen northwest of the larger Hawaiian islands.
A teenager wades through a pool of water in a washed-out section of road damaged by Hurricane Lala in Mountain View, Hawaii, on Aug. 16. Another powerful storm, possibly even a hurricane, could be in the offing this weekend.
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The National Hurricane Center is watching two tropical disturbances in the Pacific Ocean. The one closest to Hawaii has a 70% chance of becoming a tropical depression or storm within 48 hours as of the morning of Aug. 19, 2026. The other has an 80% chance over the next seven days.

Overview

  • Lala strengthened to a major Category 3 hurricane over open water on Wednesday as it moved northwest away from Hawaii, according to the hurricane center.
  • A new disturbance called Invest 90E has a 90% chance of becoming a tropical cyclone within 48 to 72 hours, and forecasters say it may approach near the Hawaiian Islands by the coming weekend.
  • Forecast models mostly keep the system south of the islands but several model runs show a track similar to Lala, creating uncertainty that officials say warrants close monitoring.
  • Hawaii is still repairing storm damage from Lala, which produced a recorded 43.54 inches of rain at Laupahoehoe, washed away homes, damaged roads and bridges, and has been linked to two deaths while thousands remain without power.
  • Meteorologists say a strengthening El Niño and unusually warm central Pacific sea surface temperatures have raised seasonal hurricane odds and the risk of rapid intensification, leaving communities more vulnerable to a second storm.