Hawaii in the path of Tropical Storm Lala

Though hurricanes and tropical storms are relatively uncommon in Hawaii, the islands are not completely immune from them. Actually, Tropical Storm Lala is headed towards Hawaii this weekend. As of early Saturday, the projected path is south of the island of Hawaii. Another concern is that Lala is expected to strengthen to a Category 1 hurricane today.

Lala Forecast from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center

Hotels are open and continue to welcome guests. Visitors who are scheduled to arrive in the coming weeks should keep their travel plans.

As for visitors who are currently in Hawaii, the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau advises,

“Visitors are encouraged to shelter in place during the storm, check with their airlines before heading to the airport, and be aware that National and State Parks may be closed and some city and county services may be limited as storm preparations continue.”

With a hurricane warning in effect for Hawaii, the Big Island, a tropical storm warning in effect for Maui County, and tropical storm watch in effect for Oahu and Kauai, we want to provide helpful information and resources for visitors.

Park closures

Some parks on the island of Hawaii have already closed as of early Saturday, August 15. Here are some closures that we are aware of:

National parks on the Big Island:
- Most of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is closed. See this link for more details.
- Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park is closed. See this link for more details.
- Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park is closed. See this link for more details.
- Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site is closed. See this link for more details.
State parks on the Island of Hawaii are closed.
On Kauai, the Napali Coast State Wilderness Park and Polihale State Park are closed.
Haleakala National Park on Maui has some closures, but will reassess the situation today. See this link for more details.

Official resources for storm information

National Weather Service Honolulu — local forecasts, watches and warnings.
Hurricanes.gov — Official tropical cyclone forecasts and updates.
Ready Hawai‘i Alerts — Information from Hawai‘i Emergency Management (HIEMA) and links to county emergency-alert sign-ups.
Water advisories: Hawaii State Environmental Health Administration or oceansafety.hawaii.gov.
Beach, check wind, surf and water hazards — safebeachday.com/state/hawaii
Visit the official website for State parks for updates.
Lists of local television and radio stations for weather and news
Receive official emergency alerts from county emergency management agencies.
- Hawai‘i Island: Text HAWAIIALERTS to 888777 or everbridge.net/371914103062563/new
- Kaua‘i: Text KAUAIEMA to 888777 or inspironlogistics.com/kauai_hi/wens.cfm
- L?na‘i, Maui, Moloka‘i: Text MAUIALERTS to 38276 or gov/list.aspx
- O‘ahu (Honolulu): Text HNLALERT to 888777 or gov/dem/hnl-alert/
Visit gohawaii.com or download the GoHawaii app on the Apple App Store or Google Play to get the latest visitor information. You can also call 1-800-GOHAWAII, available 24 hours a day to answer your questions.