Hawaii Faces Second Hurricane Threat This Weekend Following Catastrophic Flooding From Hurricane Lala (Video)

Hawaii is bracing for another possible hurricane this weekend, just days after Lala dumped more than 40 inches of rain in some spots of Hawaii’s Big Island.

AccuWeather hurricane experts say a tropical rainstorm has developed in the Pacific Ocean. Based on the current track, the storm could pass within 100 miles of the Big Island as a hurricane Sunday or Sunday night local time. Just last weekend, Hurricane Lala passed about 30 miles south of the Big Island.

“The Big Island will be especially sensitive to flooding after Lala already caused significant flooding and mudslides last weekend,” said AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva. “The rainfall amounts and location of the rain is going to be largely dependent on the storm track, which could move farther south and largely miss the islands. That doesn’t mean there wouldn’t be significant impacts to land, though.”

What AccuWeather Experts are Forecasting:

• The tropical rainstorm is expected to strengthen into a hurricane and pass to the south of the Hawaiian Islands Sunday or Sunday night
• Widespread rainfall amounts of 4-8 inches are expected across the island, with an AccuWeather StormMax™ of 24 inches
• Flooding rainfall and gusty winds are expected, with the highest risk for impacts to lives and property expected to be across the higher elevations and windward side of the Big Island
• Areas that experienced significant flooding from Lala will be especially susceptible to new flooding, even with less rainfall amounts than previously experienced

During Lala, Hawaii experienced varying levels of strong wind gusts, power outages, and road closures across its seven inhabited islands. However, this next storm is expected to bring the greatest risk to the Big Island and Maui.

The next named storm in the Central Pacific basin will be Moke. The storm could still be named before leaving the Eastern Pacific basin, in which case, it would be named Iselle.

The Latest On Lala

Hurricane Lala, now located in the open waters of the western Pacific Ocean, is a Category 3 storm. According to a preliminary estimate from AccuWeather experts, Lala left an estimated $3-5 billion in damages as the storm passed within 30 miles south of the Big Island Saturday, August 15 as a Category 1 hurricane.