Winds fading as cool, wet weather remains
BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM
High winds uprooted a 70-foot-tall kiawe tree near the fountain at Kapiolani Park Sunday morning, partially blocking one Waikiki-bound lane of traffic. City employees and the Honolulu Fire Department were on scene to remove the tree.
As Hawaii recovers from numerous downed trees and power outages, the strong winds, surf and rain brought by a low-pressure system is expected to lift northeast and away from the state over the next couple of days.
Winds will diminish across the island chain, but bands of moisture will remain, bringing showers to windward areas and a few leeward locales. More rain is on the way late Tuesday through Wednesday, but breezy trades return, bringing the shower patterns back to normal heading into the weekend.
This evening is expected to be partly cloudy, and become mostly cloudy, with overnight temperatures dipping to lows of 55 to 63 degrees on Oahu’s South Shore, 57 to 64 on the Waianae coast, 54 to 60 in Central Oahu, and 59 to 64 on the windward side, including Kailua, Kaneohe and Waimanalo.
>> Dangerous winds wreak havoc across Hawaii
A high surf warning, meanwhile, remains in effect for the north- and west-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu and Molokai, and for the north-facing shores of Maui and the Big Island, effective through 6 a.m. Tuesday.
Surf is expected to reach 25 to 35 feet this morning, then lower to 20 to 25 feet late this afternoon along north- and west-facing shores of Niihau and Kauai, and north-facing shores of Oahu, Molokai and Maui. Surf is expected to reach 18 to 25 feet, then lower to 12 to 20 feet this afternoon along west-facing shores of Oahu and Molokai.
A high surf advisory with waves of 5 to 8 feet has been issued for west-facing shores of the Big Island, effective through 6 p.m. today.
Ocean water is expected to surge and sweep across beaches listed in the high surf warning, with potential impacts to coastal properties and roadways. Powerful longshore and rip currents will be present at most beaches, along with large, breaking waves.
“Anyone entering the water could face significant injury or death,” said the advisory. “Boaters should be aware of an increased number of surfers and body boarders utilizing the harbor channel to access surfing areas.”
A high wind warning remains in effect for Big Island summits, with west winds of 90 to 120 miles per hour, and gusts up to 150 miles per hour, through 6 p.m. Tuesday. Travel to the summits should be delayed until the high winds subside, weather officials said.
NOAA’s weather radio station WWG27, covering Hawaii County, is now operational. It was unavailable due to a power outage but had power restored around 1 p.m. today, weather officials said.
