The storm is forecast to bring rain to the Hawaiian Islands starting late Friday as well as high winds and dangerous surf, the National Hurricane Center said.
A hurricane warning is in effect for Hawaii County and a tropical storm watch is in place for Maui County including the islands of Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe, forecasters said.
Lala was about 455 miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii, and about 670 miles east-southeast of Honolulu with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph while moving west-northwest, the Miami-based center said.
Lala is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane as it approaches the Big Island. It's expected to be near the island Saturday. A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected, and it is typically issued 36 hours before potential tropical-storm-force winds.
The system could bring rainfall totals of 8 inches to a foot across Maui and the Big Island, with as much as 25 inches possible across the Big Island, forecasters said. That could produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, the center said.
