Hurricane Lala Slams Hawaii With Fierce Rain, Winds
Your Daily Update for August 16, 2026. Plus: Hurricane Lala barely avoided making landfall on Hawaii's Big Island yesterday, dumping heavy rain and bringing fierce winds.
Welcome to today’s daily update for Sunday, August 16, 2026. Here’s everything you need to know.
The Breakdown
Hawaii’s Big Island is reeling after suffering the wrath of Hurricane Lala, which barely avoided making landfall yesterday after predictions were proved wrong.
Lala began in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, moving west at a steady pace as it strengthened over warm Pacific waters. By the time the system approached the Big Island, Lala had become a Category 1 hurricane packing winds of 75 mph and carrying intense rain bands.
Meteorologists predicted that the hurricane would make landfall, making it the first hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii since the devastating arrival of Category 4 Hurricane Iniki in 1992. If it had done so, it would have also become the first hurricane to make landfall on the Big Island since recordkeeping began – according to older reports, the last system to cross directly over the Big Island was a Category 3 hurricane in 1871.
However, at the last moment, Lala took a bank to the left, skirting the southern edge of Hawaii’s Big Island before moving further west.
Nevertheless, Lala dealt some serious damage to the island. The storm’s intense rain bands were largely concentrated on the northern side of the eye, dropping massive amounts of rainfall over the Big Island. According to preliminary reports, some areas have already received as much as 13 inches of rainfall, and more could be on the way.
Lala also brought raging winds, downing power lines and trees and crippling local infrastructure. More than 89,000 people lost power during the storm, and authorities were forced to shutter all airports and cancel both inbound and outbound flights as Lala passed through.
Police have warned people to stay vigilant for flash flooding and mudslides, particularly in more mountainous regions. Locals at higher elevations are also more susceptible to wind damage, as gusts get faster as elevation increases.
Governor Josh Green has confirmed that at least one person is dead after a car accident, and he has warned residents to stay inside during the storm.
The Global Snapshot
The death toll in yesterday’s devastating earthquake in Indonesia has risen to 51, according to new reports. The quake struck off the coast of East Nusa Tenggara with a magnitude of 7.7, causing landslides and destroying various buildings. More than 5,000 people have been evacuated as strong aftershocks continue, and hospitals have confirmed at least 36 serious injuries. Electricity is out on much of the island, and gas and water supplies have also been affected in some areas.
Meanwhile, the death toll in last week’s Colombia earthquake has also risen, reaching 290 casualties. At least 140 people are still missing, and more than 4,000 others remain injured. The 7.4 magnitude quake struck early on Monday morning, severely affecting much of western Colombia – including the major city of Cali, home to almost 3 million people.
A raging wildfire near the border of Belgium and Germany has spread to more than 6,600 acres, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate. The blaze is located inside Belgium’s High Fens Nature Reserve, rapidly growing to become the nation’s largest wildfire on record. Firefighters, equipped with three helicopters and two water bombers, are working to get the fire under control, but strong winds and high temperatures are not helping the situation.
Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): There is a species of jellyfish, known as the Turritopsis dohrnii, which are considered biologically immortal. They don’t age and will never die unless they are killed – if the jellyfish is starving or hurt, it simply turns back into polyps, which recreate the creature.
Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): It is not good to know more unless we do more with what we already know. (R.K. Bergethon)
Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Circumscribe (verb, SER-kum-skrybe) - To circumscribe something is to limit its range or activity.
In a Sentence: The president’s decision-making power was carefully circumscribed by the company’s board.
Image: NOAA / Public Domain
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