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HONOLULU (AP) -- Tropical Storm Lala formed Thursday in the Pacific Ocean and is expected to become a hurricane while approaching the Big Island of Hawaii, where it could bring heavy rain and flooding this weekend, forecasters said.
The storm was forecast to bring rain to the Hawaiian Islands starting late Friday as well as high winds and dangerous surf, the National Hurricane Center said.
A hurricane warning was in effect for Hawaii County and a tropical storm watch was in place for Maui County including the islands of Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe, forecasters said.
Lala is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane as it approaches the Big Island. A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected, and it is typically issued 36 hours before potential tropical-storm-force winds.
The system could bring rainfall totals of 8 inches to a foot across Maui and the Big Island, with as much as 25 inches possible across the Big Island, forecasters said. That could produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, the center said.