Heavy rain drenched Maui on Tuesday, falling at up to 4 inches an hour, touching off roadway flooding and a rock slide on Hana Highway.
Maui was under a flash flood warning Tuesday afternoon and night that was later canceled.
Rain started hitting Oahu resulting in a flash flood warning Tuesday night with Manoa and Waikane streams at above flood stage. Downpours could happen on other islands east of Kauai through Thursday afternoon, said National Weather Service lead forecaster Jeff Powell.
An area of low pressure brought in deep tropical moisture over the eastern part of the islands and unstable conditions in the upper atmosphere created heavy rainfall.
“Maui, unfortunately, is in the sweet spot this evening, as it was last evening, and is just getting dumped on right now,” Powell said. “This threat has the potential to spread to other islands.”
“It’s just coming down really hot and heavy,” he said at about 7:30 p.m. Powell said Haleakala’s slopes and east and southeast slopes of the west Maui mountains were receiving heavy rainfall.
Maui County announced Baldwin Beach Park would be closed today because of the weather, and the mayor’s community budget meeting for fiscal year 2018 in the East Maui/Hana district was rescheduled to Oct. 4.
Andrea Finkelstein, the plans and operations officer at Maui Civil Defense Agency, said heavy rain had been reported in Haiku, along Hana Highway, Ulupalakua in Upcountry Maui, Makawao, Wailuku and Wailea.
“Part of what is making this storm so unique is the impact is very widespread,” Finkelstein said.
She said the agency was receiving reports of flooding on roads in low-lying areas and because of blocked drains. First responders, the county Department of Public Works and the state Department of Transportation were clearing those blockages.
The Weather Service said rainfall rates of 2 inches to 3 inches per hour would increase the chance of landslides, and a rock slide had been reported on Hana Highway, with a lane blocked near mile marker 3.
The state Department of Health issued a brown water advisory for Maui because of the heavy rain, warning the public to stay out of floodwaters and stormwater runoff. The water may be contaminated by sewage, pesticides and a host of other pollutants, the department said.
Powell said the conditions creating the heavy rainfall will stick around today for more of the same and dissipate toward the end of the week. Tradewinds could return this weekend.