Outer bands of Tropical Storm Lala bringing heavy rains, gusty winds to Kauaʻi County; flash flood warning issued

There are several road closures across the island, including Kūhiō Highway in the vicinity of the Hanalei Bridge

Customers are advised to limit water use to essential needs only, such as cooking, drinking and sanitation to avoid a full water service outage.

According to Doppler radar at 2:27 p.m., rain was falling at a rate of up to 1 inch per hour. Kuhio Highway is inundated and is closed at the Hanalei River Bridge.

Most of the customers without power are on the South side of Kaua’i, the closest to Tropical Storm Lala’s high winds.

Kauaʻi Fire Department personnel crossed a river and walked along a shoreline with medical equipment and a rescue basket to help the distressed fisherman.

As Hurricane Lala intensifies into a Category 1 storm, the U.S. Air Force Hurricane Hunters have flown back to California after performing essential data collection flights to improve understanding of Lala.

With Hurricane Lala approaching, Kaua‘i Now News is encouraging its viewers to share footage they capture.

Gov. Josh Green announced that the Department of the Navy is initiating the process to return nearly 44 acres of federal property to the state of Hawaiʻi. The proposed transfers include a 31.693-acre parcel at Kalaeloa and the Marine Corps’ 12-acre Molokaʻi Training Support Facility at Hoʻolehua.

Hawaiʻi Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Insurance Division encourages residents to take steps now to make filing insurance claims easier after damage from any heavy rainfall and flooding occurs.

All the information visitors need to track the tropical cyclone — which is expected to become a Category 1 hurricane as it nears the Big Island — and stay safe from the forecast hazards, courtesy of Hawai‘i Tourism Authority.

Ocean swells are constantly beating on the ocean floor. This nonstop drumming creates continuous signals that travel through Earth and recorded on seismometers around the globe, including here in Hawai‘i; changes in the speed of these ocean noise signals can give us clues about volcanic activity.

Vessels transiting within the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands should seek sheltered waters and anticipate additional restrictions and possible port closures as weather conditions progress.