Arabic version: إعصار لالا يجلب رياحاً وأمطاراً وانقطاعات كهرباء إلى هاواي

According to BBC News, category one Hurricane Lala is lashing Hawaii’s southern point with strong winds and torrential rain, prompting a hurricane warning for Big Island and tropical storm warnings for Maui County, Oahu, Kauai and Niihau. The storm reached hurricane strength on Saturday, with winds as high as 80mph (130km/h).

The National Hurricane Center said at 17:00 on Saturday local time that Lala’s eye wall was “brushing the southern portion of the Big Island”. It said damaging winds and heavy rain would continue across Big Island overnight and spread west across the smaller islands on Sunday. Lala was moving at nine miles per hour and is expected to continue into Sunday morning before heading west.

Forecasters said the hurricane could bring up to 25in (63cm) of rain to Big Island and a 3ft storm surge. Officials warned of life-threatening flooding, while the National Weather Service said major rainfall flooding could lead to evacuations and rescues in south-east areas of the island. Rivers and tributaries may rapidly overflow their banks, it said.

Governor Josh Green said one person had died after a car accident and urged residents not to travel on roads. More than 85,000 customers had lost electricity across Hawaii by Saturday evening, while dozens of flights were cancelled. At Ellison Onizuka Kona International, 40% of flights were grounded, and 80% were called off at Hilo International.

Meteorologist Jennifer Myers in Hilo said landslides had cut off some roads and falling trees had brought down power lines. Hawaii County’s Civil Defense Agency said public shelters were available in every county on Big Island, as residents were urged to complete storm preparations and focus on sheltering plans.