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Rain, strong tradewinds in store for Hawaii for rest of week

Nina Wu
COURTESY NOAA
                                This color-enhanced satellite image shows heavy rain over Kauai this morning.
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COURTESY NOAA

This color-enhanced satellite image shows heavy rain over Kauai this morning.

UPDATE: 11:40 a.m.

The flood advisory for Kauai has been canceled.

Previous coverage:

Rainy weather is expected for the next few days for Hawaii, forecasters said, due to a combination of systems, including an upper level low anchored over the western Hawaiian islands and a cloud band moving in.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood advisory for the island of Kauai, effective through 11:45 a.m. today.

“At 8:42 a.m., radar indicated slow-moving, heavy rain and a few thunderstorms over northeastern Kauai,” forecasters said. “The rain was falling at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour in the heaviest showers.”

The advisory includes Lihue, Kapaa, Kilauea, Wailua Homesteads, North Fork Wailua Trails, Wailua, Anahola, Moloaa, Hanalei, Wailua River State Park, Kealia, and Kalihiwai.

The advisory may need to be extended if flooding persists, forecasters said.

The weather service has also issued a special marine warning for Kauai Channel and northwest and windward Kauai waters, due to wind gusts of 34 knots or greater, effective through 11:15 a.m. today.

Strengthening tradewinds are expected to push clouds and showers over each island this morning, bringing rain statewide tonight, especially along the windward and mountain slopes.

Today’s skies are expected to be mostly cloudy for windward sides, with highs ranging from 83 to 88 degrees. The cloudy skies continue tonight, with showers, and lows from 70 to 75.

Tradewinds of 10 to 20 mph are expected through tonight.

Surf along north shores will remain at 6 to 8 feet today, but is expected to rise to 7 to 10 feet tonight through Thursday as a new northwest swell arrives and builds down the island chain, according to the forecast. Surf on west shores is 1 to 3 feet today butexpected to rise to 5 to 7 feet on Thursday. Eastern shores will see waves of 2 to 4 feet today, rise steadily Thursday and likely to reach advisory levels with rough conditions over the weekends. Southern shores waves will remain small at 1 to 3 feet through Thursday.

A coastal flooding warning during high tide remains in effect due to a combination of higher than predicted ocean water levels and high astronomical tides.

The high tide occurs during early morning hours, and may cause some minor coastal erosion and salt water inundation of low-lying roads, docks, boat ramps and other infrastructure, forecasters said. The water level is expected to lower each day over the next few days and through the weekend.

Forecasters say wind speeds are also expected to increase in the next few days due to a high pressure system building in over the Central Pacific basin, bringing blustery, wet trade wind weather this weekend. The tradewinds may strengthen to advisory levels by Sunday, they said.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami, meanwhile, is tracking Tropical Storm Polo in the Eastern Pacific. The storm, with 45 mph winds, is expected to weaken over the next few days and dissipate by Friday, far from the Central Pacific.

The Central Pacific hurricane season ends on Nov. 30.

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