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Hurricane watch issued for Hawaii County as Tropical Storm Lala nears
Hawaii insurers are focused on Lala's forecast path, with hurricane force possible within 48 hours, adding pressure to a market still recovering from the 2023 Maui wildfires.
Insurance Business reports that Tropical Storm Lala is prompting heightened attention from Hawaii property insurers as it tracks toward the Big Island. The National Hurricane Center said the storm formed early Thursday about 700 miles east-southeast of Hilo and is forecast to strengthen while moving west through the weekend.
A hurricane watch is now in effect for Hawaii County, meaning hurricane-force conditions are possible within 48 hours. Forecasters expect 5 to 10 inches of rain across the island chain, with isolated totals up to 20 inches, and warned of flash flooding and landslides due to steep terrain.
The report notes that no hurricane has made a confirmed landfall on Hawaii Island in the modern record, and that volcanic terrain can disrupt storms before they reach peak intensity. However, it adds that Hurricane Hone stayed about 50 miles offshore in August 2024 and still delivered damaging wind and rain to the islands.
Lala’s arrival comes as Hawaii’s homeowners’ market works through the aftermath of the 2023 Maui wildfires, which destroyed more than 2,200 structures and drove insured losses past $3.2 billion. Insurance Business points to subsequent non-renewals and premium increases, including cases where condo association annual costs rose as much as 1,000%, and it cites statewide homeowners’ multiperil premiums rising more than 13% in 2024, plus State Farm’s approved rate increase of up to 48.4% affecting nearly 99,000 policyholders. The outlet also links the risk backdrop to reinsurance costs, including a nearly 63% jump in one Hawaii insurer’s reinsurance rates and mention that DTRIC has begun exiting the homeowners’ market altogether.