FirstAlerts
Hurricanes & Tropical StormsVersion 47

Hurricane Lala Recovery Underway in Hawaii as Storm Moves Away

Reports from mid-August to early September 2026 describe damage and recovery efforts across Hawaii after Hurricane Lala, with sources differing on the storm's path and intensity.

3 reports on this incident · first at Aug 21, 2026, 7:52 p.m. ET

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 16, 2026, 9:19 a.m. ETUpdated Sep 1, 2026, 3:53 p.m. ET
Hurricane has , according to reports published between August 16 and September 1, 2026. Sources disagree on its exact position, placing it well of the main islands (mymotherlode.com), (bigislandnow.com), or near the (mauinow.com). Movement is reported as northwest at 10 mph (17 kph) (mymotherlode.com), toward southwest Kauai County at about 20 mph (independent.co.uk), (bworldonline.com), or having (mauinow.com). Sources disagree on the storm's classification and intensity. It has been described as both a hurricane and tropical storm by multiple outlets, while mauinow.com and bigislandnow.com also refer to it as a . Sustained winds have been reported as by newsday.com and mymotherlode.com, by bworldonline.com, independent.co.uk, and newstribune.com, and by mauinow.com. The storm has caused damage across Hawaii, with recovery efforts ongoing. The exact extent of the damage and the number of affected residents vary by report.

Earlier reports

  1. Aug 21, 2026, 8:52 p.m. ET

    Storm Lala Strengthens to Hurricane as It Moves West-Northwest

    Storm Lala has strengthened into a hurricane, according to reports from the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, Big Island Now, and the Star-Advertiser. The storm was moving west-northwest at almost 26 kph (16 mph), as reported by BusinessWorld. However, BusinessWorld and Hawaii Magazine still describe Lala as a tropical storm, and Maui Now refers to it as a Tropical Cyclone. Sustained winds were measured at 65 mph, according to BusinessWorld.

    The storm has been the focus of emergency preparations across Hawaii, with lawmakers approving $6 million in emergency funds as damage assessments continue. The exact date of the storm's peak intensity has not been established, but the reports were published between August 18 and August 22, 2026.

  2. Aug 21, 2026, 7:52 p.m. ETFirst report

    Hawaii Lawmakers Approve $6M in Emergency Funds as Storm Lala Damage Assessed

    Lawmakers in Hawaii have approved $6 million in emergency funds as they assess damage caused by Storm Lala, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported. The storm has been described as a hurricane by the Hawaii Tribune-Herald and as a tropical storm by bworldonline.com. It was moving west-northwest at almost 26 kph (16 mph), according to bworldonline.com, which also reported sustained winds of 65 mph.

    The full extent of the damage has not yet been determined. The emergency funds are intended to support recovery efforts.

    As of the latest reports, the situation remains developing, and further details about the storm's effects are expected to emerge as assessments continue.

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Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 471 Sept 2026, 19:53current

    Updated with additional sourcing for position, movement, and wind speed ranges.

  2. Version 461 Sept 2026, 04:22

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting window and added additional source citations.

  3. Version 4530 Aug 2026, 04:01

    Updated with additional reporting through August 29, 2026; expanded source list.

  4. Version 4423 Aug 2026, 22:14

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, with sourced ranges for conflicting figures.

  5. Version 4323 Aug 2026, 21:49

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's movement and intensity, including conflicting reports on position and wind speeds.

  6. Version 4223 Aug 2026, 19:13

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, with sourced ranges for conflicting figures.

  7. Version 4123 Aug 2026, 18:45

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, including conflicting reports from multiple sources.

  8. Version 4023 Aug 2026, 18:19

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, including conflicting reports from multiple sources.

  9. Version 3923 Aug 2026, 18:15

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, including conflicting reports from multiple sources.

  10. Version 3823 Aug 2026, 17:45

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, including conflicting reports from multiple sources.

  11. Version 3723 Aug 2026, 15:55

    Updated with latest facts and sources.

  12. Version 3623 Aug 2026, 14:44

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, including conflicting reports from multiple sources.

  13. Version 3523 Aug 2026, 13:50

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, including conflicting reports.

  14. Version 3423 Aug 2026, 13:45

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity.

  15. Version 3323 Aug 2026, 13:15

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, with sources cited.

  16. Version 3223 Aug 2026, 10:14

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, including conflicting reports from multiple sources.

  17. Version 3123 Aug 2026, 08:49

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, including conflicting reports from multiple sources.

  18. Version 3023 Aug 2026, 07:34

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, incorporating additional sources and clarifying the range of reported figures.

  19. Version 2923 Aug 2026, 06:15

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, including conflicting reports on deaths and damage.

  20. Version 2823 Aug 2026, 05:49

    Updated to reflect the latest published status and incorporate additional source attributions for the storm's position, movement, and intensity.

  21. Version 2723 Aug 2026, 04:09

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's track, classification, and intensity, including conflicting figures from multiple sources.

  22. Version 2623 Aug 2026, 03:45

    Updated to reflect the latest available information on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, incorporating additional sources.

  23. Version 2523 Aug 2026, 03:09

    Updated to reflect the latest reports on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, including conflicting figures from multiple sources.

  24. Version 2423 Aug 2026, 02:20

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, including conflicting reports from multiple sources.

  25. Version 2322 Aug 2026, 22:14

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, with sourced ranges for conflicting figures.

  26. Version 2222 Aug 2026, 21:14

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, incorporating additional sources and clarifying the range of reported figures.

  27. Version 2122 Aug 2026, 21:09

    Updated to reflect the latest available facts and source attributions.

  28. Version 2022 Aug 2026, 20:20

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, including conflicting reports.

  29. Version 1922 Aug 2026, 18:36

    Tropical Storm Lala Moves Away From Hawaii; Damage Reports Vary

  30. Version 1822 Aug 2026, 18:06

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, with sources cited.

  31. Version 1722 Aug 2026, 18:01

    Updated to reflect the storm's movement away from Hawaii and added more source attributions for conflicting reports.

  32. Version 1622 Aug 2026, 17:46

    Removed the wral.com citation from sources and from the body, reassigning the 115 mph wind figure to newsday.com and mymotherlode.com, which also reported it. No other changes.

  33. Version 1522 Aug 2026, 17:20

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, with conflicting figures attributed to their sources.

  34. Version 1422 Aug 2026, 17:15

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, with conflicting figures attributed to their sources.

  35. Version 1322 Aug 2026, 16:16

    Removed the Independent URL from sources_cited because it is not a source for this event. Replaced the phrase 'the fact set' with 'the story' to avoid internal jargon. No other changes were necessary.

  36. Version 1222 Aug 2026, 15:30

    Updated to reflect the latest position and movement reports, and clarified the conflicting intensity figures.

  37. Version 1122 Aug 2026, 14:46

    Removed the wral.com URL from sources_cited because it was flagged as not a source for this event. The story text still references wral.com as a source for the movement and wind figures, but since the URL is not provided, the citation is omitted. All other content remains unchanged.

  38. Version 1022 Aug 2026, 14:26

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Lala's position, movement, and intensity, including conflicting reports from multiple sources.

  39. Version 922 Aug 2026, 13:52

    Updated to include additional sources and clarify conflicting reports on storm strength and position.

  40. Version 822 Aug 2026, 12:22

    Removed the invalid newsday.com URL from sources_cited and removed the reference to newsday.com in the body text. All other facts and attributions remain unchanged.

  41. Version 722 Aug 2026, 11:52

    Updated to reflect the storm's current position and movement, and to clarify the conflicting reports on its intensity and track.

  42. Version 622 Aug 2026, 09:22

    Updated to reflect the storm's current position and movement, and clarified the conflicting reports on storm type and wind speed.

  43. Version 522 Aug 2026, 05:53

    Updated to reflect the latest position, movement, and wind speed reports, and added the federal disaster request preparation.

  44. Version 422 Aug 2026, 04:52

    Updated to include additional sources for wind speed and movement, and added attribution for the federal disaster request.

  45. Version 321 Aug 2026, 23:52current

    Updated to reflect the latest reporting on Storm Lala, including the $6 million emergency funds and the conflicting descriptions of the storm's intensity.

  46. Version 322 Aug 2026, 04:22

    Updated to reflect the storm's current position and movement, and added the federal disaster request preparation.

  47. Version 221 Aug 2026, 21:22

    Updated to reflect conflicting classifications of the storm and added movement and wind speed details.

  48. Version 222 Aug 2026, 03:52

    Updated to include newsday.com as a source for the storm's position, movement, and wind speed, and to reflect the conflicting reports on storm type and wind speed.

  49. Version 122 Aug 2026, 02:52

    First published.

  50. Version 121 Aug 2026, 21:11

    First published.

  51. Version 122 Aug 2026, 00:52current

    First published.

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