Hurricane Lala dumps heavy rain on Hawaii

The eye of Hurricane Lala neared the southern part of Hawaii's Big Island Saturday, as heavy rain and strong winds lashed the state and officials warned of potentially dangerous flooding across the US Pacific island state.

"Damaging hurricane-force winds are expected to continue on the Big Island of Hawaii into the overnight hours," the National Hurricane Center said in its 0300 GMT advisory, warning of heavy rainfall and "large and dangerous waves" across "portions of the Hawaiian Islands through the weekend."

Lala strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane at around 9am local time (1900 GMT), generating winds of up to 75 miles per hour (120 kilometers per hour).

The hurricane bore down on Hawaii County, which covers the Big Island, and a tropical storm warning was in place for the state's seven other major islands: Maui, Molokai, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Oahu, Kauai and Niihau.

"Lala is moving toward the northwest" but "some erratic motion remains possible into tonight while Lala interacts with the Big Island of Hawaii," officials said.

Lala is expected to dump 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 cm) of rain on the Big Island, with totals possibly reaching 25 inches.

It is expected to turn westward Sunday and increase in forward speed "as the core of the storm remains south of the smaller main Hawaiian Islands and the easternmost Northwestern Hawaiian Islands through the early part of next week," they added. 

Power outages were reported for more than 20,000 customers in Hawaii Saturday afternoon, with weather officials confirming "damaging winds and heavy rain" were spreading across the Big Island famed for surfing and tourism.

Swells generated by Lala would build through the weekend and are likely to cause "life-threatening surf and rip current conditions."

"It's a serious storm," Governor Josh Green said, proclaiming a state of emergency to ensure Hawaii and its counties "have sufficient resources to clear debris, secure infrastructure, and take other measures to prepare."

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said Friday his administration had spent days preparing for the storm, and urged residents to be ready.

The state was last hit by a "major" hurricane -- meaning Category 3, 4, or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale -- in 1992, when Hurricane Iniki caused at least six deaths and billions of dollars in damage. 

Hawaii was menaced by Hurricane Fausto last month, before the storm weakened and skirted north of the island chain.

The storm comes as a powerful El Nino has formed in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean.

Temperatures are already so high that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration now predicts a 69 percent chance of a "historic event that would exceed the strength of previous El Nino events dating back to 1950" when it peaks between October and December.

El Nino, a natural climate pattern when sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean become unusually warm, tends to promote hurricane activity in the Pacific while suppressing it in the Atlantic.

Human-caused climate change can amplify El Nino's impacts because a warmer ocean and atmosphere increase the availability of energy and moisture for extreme weather events, such as heat waves and heavy rainfall.

Hawaii's emergency management agency recommended residents clear gutters and drains and move valuables off the ground, seal gaps in doors and remove tree limbs that threaten their properties.