When we last checked in on Tropical Storm Lala, she was a 60-mph storm heading toward Hawaii.
That was a few days ago.
Apparently, Lala took that personally.
Because since then, she has managed to become a hurricane, weaken after interacting with the Big Island, reorganize, become a hurricane again, reach Category 4 strength—and make a little bit of history along the way.
So before we move on to the next characters entering the Pacific stage, we probably owe Lala a proper recap.
🎬 Lala’s second act was considerably more dramatic than expected
Lala formed in the central Eastern Pacific after the National Hurricane Center had been watching the tropical wave that eventually became her for several days.
Initially, she was not exactly the picture of tropical perfection. Mid-level dry air was limiting her organization, and her strongest thunderstorms remained displaced from the center.
Then things started to change.
Lala became better organized, developed an eye-like feature, and strengthened into a hurricane on August 15.
And then she headed toward the Big Island.
By August 16, Lala made her closest approach to the island, with her eyewall grazing the southern portion of the Big Island. The interaction with the mountainous terrain weakened her back to a tropical storm.
Which, apparently, she found unacceptable.
Lala reorganized after moving away from the islands and became a hurricane again early August 18.
Then she really got to work.
Category 2.
Category 3.
And by August 19, Lala had become a Category 4 major hurricane, reaching maximum sustained winds of 130 mphwith a minimum central pressure of 947 mb.
So much for being finished.
🌺 And then Lala made history
The most remarkable part of Lala’s story isn’t even that she reached Category 4 strength.
Lala became the first hurricane to directly impact Hawaii’s Big Island since an unnamed hurricane in 1871.
That’s not a typo.
1871.
That’s more than 150 years between direct hurricane impacts.
And Lala brought an extraordinary amount of rain with her.
Rainfall at Laupāhoehoe reached 43.54 inches, making Lala the third-wettest tropical cyclone to affect Hawaii on record in the historical ranking currently reported for the storm.
Only Hurricane Lane in 2018 and Hurricane Hiki in 1950 recorded higher totals.
Lala also produced a 140-mph wind gust on the summit of Mauna Kea.
More than 100 homes were damaged or destroyed statewide, and approximately 200,000 customers lost electricity during the storm.
And because apparently Lala needed one more unusual detail for her résumé, snow even fell on Mauna Kea during the storm.
That’s quite an entrance for a storm we were casually watching a week ago.
🌪️ But Lala is finally leaving the stage
As of Friday morning, August 21, Lala was still a hurricane, although she had weakened from her Category 4 peak.
At 5 AM HST, she had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph and was moving north-northeast at 13 mph.
The forecast calls for a turn toward the north, followed by a northwestward turn beginning tonight and continuing into early next week. Some fluctuations in intensity are possible over the next day or so, followed by gradual weakening.
The tropical storm warning for the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument has now been discontinued, and there are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.
So Lala is finally moving on.
But Hawaii isn’t necessarily getting much of a break.
👀 Wait. Who invited Two-C?
Because while Lala is heading away, Tropical Depression Two-C is moving toward Hawaii.
Two-C was located about 745 miles southeast of Hilo early Friday morning, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph.
The forecast calls for gradual strengthening, with the depression expected to become a tropical storm later Friday.
And then comes the part that makes this particularly unfortunate timing for Hawaii:
Two-C is expected to bring another round of heavy rainfall to the islands beginning late Saturday night and continuing into Sunday and Monday.
The Big Island could receive 5 to 10 inches of rain, with locally higher amounts up to 15 inches.
And the National Hurricane Center specifically warns that this rainfall could produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, particularly in areas recently affected by Lala.
So, essentially:
Lala: “I’m leaving.”
Two-C: “Hi.”
Hawaii: “Can we please have five minutes?”
🌴 Meanwhile, back toward Baja…
And this is where the story gets interesting for those of us watching from the Los Cabos side of the Pacific.
The National Hurricane Center is now highlighting an area of low pressure several hundred miles south of the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula.
Currently designated EP91, the system is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms, but environmental conditions appear favorable for gradual development.
The NHC gives EP91 a medium chance of tropical cyclone formation through 48 hours and a high chance through seven days.
The current forecast has the system moving west-northwestward or northwestward at roughly 5 to 10 mph, with a tropical depression likely to form this weekend or early next week.
And because apparently the Pacific has decided that one developing system isn’t enough, another tropical wave farther east is also being watched.
That wave could develop over the weekend or early next week before it interacts with—or possibly merges with—EP91.
Its current development chances are lower, but that interaction is something we’ll be watching.
🌴 So, what does all of this mean for Los Cabos?
For now:
We’re watching.
That’s it.
There is no reason for panic, and nothing in the current information indicates that Los Cabos is facing an imminent threat.
The NHC says a ridge continues to dominate the offshore waters of Baja California, supporting mainly gentle to moderate winds through the weekend.
Conditions can change, of course. That’s why we watch the systems rather than declaring their futures several days in advance.
And after the last couple of weeks, I think we can all agree that the Pacific is perfectly capable of writing its own plot twists.
For now, Lala has earned her place in the history books, Hawaii is dealing with the aftermath of an unusually significant storm, Two-C has arrived with suspiciously bad timing, and something new is developing south of Baja.
And finally, the atmosphere appears to have remembered that this is supposed to be hurricane season.
We’ll keep watching.
Because apparently the Pacific didn’t get the memo that we were taking a few days off. 😏
— Live Cabo
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