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Hurricane Lala Strengthens While Moving West Away From Hawaii
Forecasters said the storm reached Category 3 strength and was expected to stay a hurricane for several days.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami issued a hurricane warning for the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands late Tuesday after a storm system strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane.
Before strengthening, the system battered parts of Hawaii on Sunday, August 16, 2026, as a tropical storm, passing without making landfall before moving west and rapidly intensifying.
Moving west-northwest at 125 mph, the hurricane is located about 335 miles south-southeast of Maro Reef, and forecasters expect it to remain a hurricane for several days.
Hurricane conditions are expected within 36 hours for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, marking this as the first major hurricane of 2026 in the Central Pacific.
Crews are working to restore power and clean up debris along the Hawai'i Belt Road near Pahala following the severe weather that passed through Hawaii on Sunday.