Hurricane Lala upgraded to category one near Hawaii

Hurricane Lala has been upgraded to a category one storm as it approaches Hawaii's Big Island, prompting preparations across the state. The US National Hurricane Centre said Lala's maximum sustained winds have strengthened to 75 miles per hour (120 kilometres per hour), with the storm's eye wall forecast to move over or near the Big Island's southern tip by Saturday evening.

Strong winds are already spreading across parts of Maui, particularly on higher ground, where a tropical storm warning is in place. Residents in the most exposed areas, especially along the southeast coast of the Big Island, are hunkering down, concerned about power outages and falling trees.

A direct hit by a hurricane is rare for Hawaii. The last one struck 34 years ago, causing billions of dollars in damage across the island of Kauai. The Big Island itself has not taken a direct hit in 155 years. If Lala makes landfall as a hurricane, it would be the first to hit the Big Island in more than a century and a half.

Meteorology professor Stephen Bussinger from the University of Hawaii explained why the islands are usually protected. He pointed to two main factors: wind shear from the Hadley circulation, which tends to break up approaching storms, and relatively cool sea surface temperatures around Hawaii. Storms coming from the east often arrive as tropical storms or depressions rather than full hurricanes.

Bussinger also noted that climate change could alter this pattern. While Hawaii's waters have warmed less than other parts of the Pacific, warmer sea surface temperatures in the future could provide more energy for hurricanes, potentially making such direct hits more likely.