Hurricane Lala, a category one storm, skirted the Big Island of Hawaii on Saturday, bringing strong winds and torrential rain to the region. The storm generated wind speeds of up to 91mph (146km/h), according to the National Hurricane Center, and could dump up to 25in (63cm) of rain and produce a 3ft storm surge.

One Death and Widespread Power Outages

Hawaii Governor Josh Green reported that the storm got closest to the South Point area of the Big Island, where a person died in a weather-related car accident. “Many roads in Big Island have been affected, with 30 sites having already been visited by crews,” Green said in a video update posted across his social media platforms. “Please be very safe… you do not want to be out on the roads.”

As of Saturday evening local time, more than 100,000 customers had lost electricity on Hawaii, according to tracker PowerOutage, and Green also confirmed that three hospitals had lost power but had backup generators. In Maui, some residents have also been left without water supply as of Saturday afternoon.

Flight Delays and Flooding Concerns

According to tracker Flightaware, 40% of flights were grounded at Ellison Onizuka Kona International, the Big Island’s largest airport, with 80% of flights called off at Hilo International. Governor Green said 190 flights have been postponed due to the storm.

Residents have reported flooded roads and blocked paths due to fallen trees; Videos from Hawaii’s Department of Transportation show roads inundated with fast-moving water. Meteorologist Jennifer Myers, who lives in Hilo, eastern Big Island, said landslides had already cut off some roads, while power lines had been ripped down by falling trees. “I’m looking at the river right now, and it’s really, really high,” she told the BBC about the view from her apartment of the Wailuku River as it meets Hilo Bay. “The bay that’s usually blue is like blood red right now because of all the sediment and river water in it.”

El Niño and Climate Change Influence Storm Activity

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued the most dire forecasts for areas within Big Island’s southeast, warning of major rainfall flooding that could prompt many evacuations and rescues. The NWS added that rivers and tributaries may rapidly overflow their banks in multiple places — the storm is expected to continue moving westward just south of Hawaii into Sunday morning.

Hurricanes are categorized on a scale of one to five, with a category one storm such as Lala on the lower end of the scale, with minimal damage expected. Iniki, a powerful category four storm, was the last hurricane to hit Hawaii back in 1992; it caused six deaths and $3bn in damage after making landfall on the southern coast of Kauai.

This year has seen a strong El Niño develop in the Pacific, driven in part by climate change. As hurricanes and typhoons feed off warm sea waters, this spike in ocean temperatures could facilitate a higher number of storms that grow to have a greater intensity.