A lightning bolt hit Sweetie Pacarro’s house as she watched the storm from her window Monday night in Kunia.
"I didn’t realize it at the time," said Pacarro, a radio personality at KSSK. "I looked out. I saw shingles flying from my roof and a flash like a spark."
The strike created what sounded like a large explosion, knocked out her power and shook loose a light fixture and a smoke detector from the ceiling. Pacarro smelled smoke and ran out into the rain barefoot and in her pajamas to see whether her house was on fire, then learned that her house was hit from a neighbor who witnessed the incident.
DOWNPOUR
Rain totals in inches in the 24-hour period ending at 8 p.m. Tuesday:
OAHU
Waimanalo 9.39 Niu Valley 7.58 Kamehame Ridge 6.67 Maunawili 6.24 St. Stephen’s 5.16
KAUAI
Wainiha 11.21 Hanalei 5.39 Source: National Weather Service |
The winter storm that brought the lightning that hit Pacarro’s home also brought intense rainfall to East Oahu on Tuesday, an unusual shower of hail, more damaging lightning strikes, waterspouts, flooding water that overflowed manholes and runoff that closed Oahu’s favorite snorkeling spot.
While Oahu tries to dry out today, the city says it is closing Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve for the day because of hazardous conditions from surface runoff and debris that is making swimming dangerous. The preserve might reopen Thursday.
The National Weather Service said the storm, which has been lingering over part of the state since Saturday, will begin to weaken and move on today, allowing sunny skies to return as a few scattered showers clear up throughout the day.
Tuesday’s bad weather also prompted city officials to close Ala Wai, Ewa Villages and West Loch golf courses. The courses could remain closed today if the heavy rain continues, the city said.
In Kunia, Pacarro initially thought the only damage from the lightning strike, shortly before 11 p.m., was in the attic where there was smoke but no fire.
After surveying the house Tuesday, she found the surge blew out her computer, washer, coffee maker and other electrical appliances. The electrical current appeared to have traveled through the room of her son, who wasn’t home at the time, and blew out all the electronics in his room, then went through the garage door and into the concrete floor.
"The boom that was heard was just deafening. It triggered off all the car alarms in the neighborhood and the fire alarm two doors down," she said. "It was just a scary feeling. As I’m standing outside watching, shaking, I’m crying because I’m so grateful that we’re alive. "
Lightning also appears to have caused damage to two other areas of Oahu.
One of the hulls of the 36-foot catamaran Eunike was struck by lightning Monday night while docked in Keehi Lagoon Boat Harbor near the La Mariana Sailing Club. The boat owner was not injured, but couldn’t bail enough water to keepthe boat from sinking, said Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Hail fell Tuesday morning in East Oahu and Waimanalo.
Bob Chuck, who lives on Opihi Street in Niu Valley, said hail the size of peas "came down in pellets" and covered his backyard in what looked like a blanket of snow.
Aina Haina resident Robert Allen said grape-size hail fell at about 9:30 a.m. at his Akilolo Street home. "It sounded like rain hitting a tin roof, except we don’t have a tin roof," he said.
The slow-moving front and thunderstorm brought almost 3 feet of rain to parts of Kauai and more than a foot of rain to areas of Oahu since Saturday morning.
On Kauai nearly 36 inches of rain fell in Hanalei, while more than 2 feet of rain fell in Wainiha, Mount Waialeale and Wailua Ditch from 8 a.m. Saturday to 2 p.m. Tuesday. Lihue Airport recorded 12.99 inches of rain.
Punaluu Stream received the most rainfall on Oahu, with 15.64 inches.
Kevin Kodama, a hydrologist at the National Weather Service, said the rain was expected to ease up today over Oahu.
Heavy rain over Kauai and Oahu prompted state officials to check on dams, and they found several overflowing. "All of our dams are in good shape right now," said William Aila, director of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
On Oahu, Diamond Head Road near Makalei Place was closed for most of the day because of storm debris on the roadway but reopened Tuesday night.
Kalanianaole Highway was expected to be reopened at about midnight as crews used heavy equipment to remove dirt and sand that had fallen onto the roadway in at least three mudslides throughout the day. The third mudslide happened at about 5:30 p.m. between the Halona Blowhole and Lanai Lookout, said Dan Meisenzahl, Department of Transportation spokesman. The highway was closed in both directions between Lunalilo Home Road and Kealahou Street.
The heavy rain caused manholes to overflow on Kalanianaole Highway and in Palolo, sending wastewater discharges into the ocean and Palolo Stream. Oahu and Kauai were under a brown-water advisory because of the danger of contamination from storm runoff.
On Kauai some roads remained closed because of floodwaters. The south leg of the Kapaa temporary bypass road between Kuhio Highway and Olohena Road remained closed indefinitely after floodwaters undermined a 36-inch culvert under the roadway.
Hanalei School was to stay closed today due to the ongoing closure of Hanalei Bridge.
