Roads on Maui, Oahu take brunt of wet weather

Heavy rainfall caused flooding and landslides that blocked roads on Maui and Oahu Friday and Saturday.

The National Weather Serv­ice extended a flash flood watch for Maui and Hawaii island until 6 a.m. today as unstable conditions increased the chances for thunderstorms and heavy rainfall overnight.

On Maui, several landslides were reported Saturday along Hana Highway. The state Department of Transportation reported crews cleared rubble that briefly closed one lane near the 20-mile marker by Wailua at about 2 p.m. Saturday.

A video by Skyler Greene of a separate landslide between Hana and Kipahulu shows a truck driving over rocks and other debris as rainwater flows down the hillside and across the road. Greene’s girlfriend, Kipahulu resident Becky Elizabeth, said the rain wassome of the heaviest she’s ever seen, including the recent tropical storms.

“It was nuts,” she said by phone. “It was dumping like sheets of rain. The road was basically a river, and I felt like a salmon swimming up a stream. There were all these waterfalls that never come down.”

The “sloshy, wet mud” covering the narrow roadway was about knee-deep, and smaller cars were turning around, she said. With the rain letting up, the couple decided to drive their Toyota Tacoma pickup truck through the debris to get home.

“I prayed, then I just went through,” Elizabeth said. “My heart was pumping.”

The National Weather Serv­ice reported more than 6 inches of rain fell at Hana Airport over a 24-hour period ending at 5:45 p.m. Saturday. During that same period, nearly 5 inches were recorded at West Wailuaiki and 2-1/2 inches came down over Haikuand Kahakuloa.

On Oahu, the heavy rains began Friday night. About 2 feet of water from flash flooding made a portion of H-3 freeway near Koolau Golf Course impassable shortly before 9 p.m. Friday. The DOT said the H-3 eastbound offramp to Kamehameha Highwayalso was closed due to flooding.

Both areas were clear by about 10 p.m.

Early Saturday morning, the wet weather caused a landslide that blocked the Kailua-bound lanes of Pali Highway near the tunnels.

State crews were on scene before 7 a.m., removing loose material from the slope and cleaning up the roadway. The highway reopened at about 10:20 a.m.

In the 24-hour period that ended at 5:45 p.m. Saturday, about 3-1/2 inches of rain fell in Maunawili, according to the National Weather Ser­­v­ice.

Forecasters said rain clouds should pass east of the islands late today, leaving clearer skies and fewer showers over the state. Trade winds were expected to continue strengthening today into the early part of this week.