The weather system that soaked Oahu on Wednesday and peppered the island with
a little hail shifted eastward by late afternoon over Maui County and on to Hawaii island today.
A strong upper low-pressure system, combined with a cold front and plenty of moisture, was fueling the potential for flash floods, National Weather Service lead forecaster Alex Gibbs said Wednesday evening.
Oahu took the brunt of the heavy rain with upward of
2 to 3-1/2 inches of rainfall
islandwide during the 24-hour
period prior to 5 p.m. Wednesday. Upper Nuuanu got
3.38 inches of rainfall.
Although stream levels rose, there was no flash flooding.
City officials shut down the Honolulu Zoo and the West Loch Golf Course on Wednesday due to the rain.
Zheray Wong, 32, of Kunia was having breakfast in her kitchen at about 8 a.m. Wednesday when she heard what sounded like pebbles hitting the jalousies.
She walked outside and
noticed the temperature was colder than usual, saw the
small bits of ice and used
her cellphone to capture the event.
Wong, who said it was her first time witnessing hail, picked up the ice and held it in her hand. Her 4-year-old son was thrilled and asked if it was going to “fill up,” meaning pile up
like snow.
Oahu and Kauai, which did not receive as much rainfall, should dry out over the next couple of days, but the wet weather could shift back toward Oahu late Saturday and into Sunday.
There is a potential for the system to stall over the Big
Island, with the chance for heavy rain over the eastern end of the state through the workweek and possibly into the
weekend, Gibbs said.
The National Weather Service issued a flash-flood watch for Maui County and Hawaii island until Thursday afternoon.
The weather service also
issued a wind advisory for Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa above 12,000 feet through
6 p.m. today. Southwest winds up to 50 mph, with gusts over 60 mph, are expected.
The public is advised to
postpone travel to the Big Island summits until conditions improve.