Hurricane Lala pulls away from Hawaii’s Big Island

HONOLULU, United States (AFP)—Hurricane Lala was pulling away from Hawaii’s Big Island early Sunday, as heavy rain and strong winds struck the US Pacific state and officials warned of potentially dangerous flooding.

“Damaging winds will persist across portions of the Big Island of Hawaii overnight, with the strongest winds expected in areas of higher terrain,” the National Hurricane Center said at 11:00 pm local time (0900 GMT Sunday), warning that the coast would be hit with “large and dangerous waves.”

Lala strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane on Saturday, generating winds of up to 75 miles per hour (120 kilometers per hour).