Tropical Storm Lala could swipe the shores of the Big Island of Hawaii, possibly near hurricane strength this weekend. The island chain only has two hurricane landfalls on record since 1950, with a close drive-by in 2024 by Hurricane Hone.

The WeatherRadar shows Tropical Storm Lala churning southeast of the Hawaiian Islands on Thursday, and the futurecast takes Lala's tropical impacts right into the island chain this weekend. Already, our Weather & Radar app forecast shows a gusty and rainy Saturday on the Big Island.

Statistically, because the island chain is so small and systems usually stay to the south due to typical high-pressure setups and colder waters, Hawaii doesn't get direct hits often. El Niño can impact things, however.

Warm waters pushing further northward due to this El Niño season have provided a potent environment for eastern Pacific tropical activity, which usually peaks in August. Tropical Storm Lala is taking advantage of the warmer surface temperatures as well as weaker trade winds, allowing the tropical system to drift further north compared to La Niña or neutral seasons.