Lala strengthens into hurricane as it nears Hawaii's Big Island

Hurricane Lala intensified into a Category 1 storm Saturday morning as it moved closer to Hawaii's Big Island, prompting airport shutdowns and port closures across parts of the island chain, according to U.S. weather officials.

The National Hurricane Center said Lala's maximum sustained winds had climbed to 75 mph (120 km/h), the threshold for a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. An earlier observation near South Point recorded sustained winds of 41 mph (66 km/h) and a gust of 64 mph (102 km/h) at an elevation of 550 feet (167.6 meters), the center said.

In its 10 a.m. HST (1900 GMT) advisory, the hurricane center said Lala was already bringing gusty winds and heavy rain to parts of the Big Island. The National Weather Service warned of dangerous surf and localized flooding, particularly along exposed coastal areas and low-lying roads as rain bands continued to push across the island.

The Hawaii Department of Transportation closed Hilo International Airport and said it would close Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole at 2 p.m. HST. Commercial ports on Hawaii Island, Maui County, and Kaua'i were also closed, disrupting cargo and travel schedules and leaving residents and visitors to brace for the storm's onset.

The rapid intensification served as a reminder of the threat tropical systems can pose in the central Pacific, where warm water and moist conditions can quickly turn a developing storm into a hurricane. Officials urged residents to monitor local alerts and avoid unnecessary travel as conditions deteriorate.