Tradewinds returning, but rains still linger

Cooling tradewinds are returning after more than a week of muggy, hazy Kona weather and heavy afternoon rains, but the islands may still have to contend with lingering scattered showers Monday.

The National Weather Service extended a flood advisory for Hawaii island until 10:15 p.m. after radar showed heavy showers 10 miles southeast of Kailua-Kona moving south-southeast at 10 mph. The advisory also included Keauhou, Holualoa and Captain Cook.

The weather service canceled a flood advisory for Kauai Monday afternoon and an earlier advisory for Oahu.

The storm system that slammed Oahu and Kauai over the weekend still had some punch left in it Monday. At about 9:10 a.m. on Oahu, a gauge in Punaluu recorded rain falling at a rate of about an inch an hour, prompting a flood advisory for Windward Oahu until about 11:40 a.m.

The Oahu Department of Emergency Management reported standing water creating traffic problems in Kahaluu at about 10:45 a.m., as the rains started to diminish.

But forecasters say possible showers remain in the forecast through Tuesday. Rain is more likely on windward and mauka areas on Oahu and Kauai, but some showers may still pop up over leeward areas.

The threat of thunderstorms should ease by Tuesday as the tradewinds become established and the winds should also push out the vog over the western end of the state. 

The rains Sunday over Honolulu set a new record for rainfall at the Honolulu Airport for the date with 1.94 inches recorded, breaking the old record of .09 inches set in 1996.

Record rainfall was also recorded on Saturday in Honolulu and Lihue. The 1.1 inches of rain on Saturday broke the old recrod of .1 inches set on May 24, 1956 in Honolulu. Lihue’s new record of .83 inches broke the old record of .37 set on May 24, 1986.

Sunday’s thunderstorms and heavy rains dropped 3.4 inches of rain over Makaha Stream in the 24 hour period ending at 5 a.m. Just under 4 inches fell on Palisades and 3.2 inches was recorded in Waiawa.