On Saturday, Hurricane Lara was making its way towards Hawaii, bringing with it strong winds and heavy rainfall. As a result, over 40,000 utility customers across the state lost power, with officials at the National Hurricane Center issuing warnings about “life-threatening” conditions.
According to poweroutage.com, by 2:14 p.m., 42,889 customers were without electricity statewide. Hawaii Island was particularly affected, with 31,792 outages, while Maui County, which includes Maui, Lanai, and Molokai, saw 7,203 outages.
In an advisory from the Hurricane Center at 2 p.m. PT, forecasts indicated that Hawaii could receive between 10 to 20 inches of rainfall, with the Big Island possibly facing up to 25 inches. Eastern Maui could see 8 to 12 inches, and western Maui might get 4 to 6 inches.
The center warned that “this rainfall will likely lead to life-threatening flooding and landslides, especially in areas with steep terrain.”
Hawaiian Electric cautioned residents to be prepared for “extended power outages, potentially overnight,” as the storm progressed westward across the islands.
Utility crews were busy inspecting 42 miles of power lines along Hawai’i Island’s Hamakua Beach, where a fallen tree had taken down several utility poles, as noted by Hawaiian Electric spokesman Darren Pai during an interview with Hawaii News Now.
Earlier, the US National Hurricane Center reported that Lara had reached maximum sustained wind speeds of 110 km/h, classifying it as a Category 1 hurricane.
Wind gusts exceeding 160 mph were recorded at the Mauna Kea Weather Center, located at the highest point on the Big Island, although winds likely weakened as they descended closer to sea level.
The Hawaii Department of Transportation announced the closure of Hilo International Airport and noted that Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport in Care Hall would also close at 2 p.m. PT. Additionally, commercial ports on Hawaii Island, Maui County, and Kauai have been shut down.
