Muddy cleanup ahead as Tropical Storm Lala moves west of Hawaii

HONOLULU (AP) — Tropical Storm Lala left behind a muddy mess Monday caused by intense rainfall and flooding as it moved past Hawaii’s main islands.

Lala weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm Sunday after lashing the state without making landfall. The storm was projected to continue moving westward and was forecast to become a hurricane again at sea and far from land by Wednesday.

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There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect for Hawaii on Monday as cleanup efforts were expected to begin, but life-threatening surf and rip current conditions remained, according to the National Hurricane Center. Saturation caused heavy rainfall could still cause some landslides, but winds were no longer a threat, National Weather Service meteorologist Patrick Blood said.

“There’s no real looming hazards that we’re facing now,” he said. “Lala’s off to the west.”

Laupahoehoe, on the northeast coast of the Big Island, saw the heaviest recorded rainfall at 43.54 inches (1.1 meters). The highest winds were atop the towering Mauna Kea volcano, where gusts hit 140 mph (225 kph). At the lower elevations, residents all across the island chain experienced tropical storm force winds of 30 to 40 mph (48 to 64 kph) with gusts up to 60 mph (97 kph), Blood said.

The storm felled trees and power lines and caused serious flooding that swept some 100 homes from their foundations on the Big Island, authorities said. Gov. Josh Green said Sunday that no one is believed to have died when the homes washed away.