Meet with Hanabusa

U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa is holding town hall meetings on Oahu tonight and tomorrow night. Tonight’s meeting is at Aiea Elementary School, 99-370 Moanalua Road. Tomorrow’s meeting is at Waipahu Elementary School, 94-465 Waipahu St. Both meetings are from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Congress is in recess this week.

Winter storm flood watch extended

The National Weather Service extended a flash flood watch to include all the Hawaiian Islands as moist and unstable weather spreads over the entire state.

Forecasters said there is a chance of heavy rainfall, possibly thunderstorms, through tomorrow. The watch is in effect until 6 a.m. tomorrow.

A winter storm watch is in effect starting this morning for the summits of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea because of the chance of thunderstorms and heavy snow.

"Any showers that do form could be locally heavy and cause flash flooding," said Bob Burke, a forecaster with the National Weather Service.

A upper-level trough, or low-pressure system in the atmosphere, is north of the islands and was expected to intensify and move over the state late last night, Burke said.

The system will create conditions that could lead to heavy showers and thunderstorms, mostly on Maui and the Big Island, he said.

Dogs dispatch illegal tegu lizard

A Waianae family’s pet dogs apparently cornered and killed a foot-and-a-half-long illegal lizard on Friday.

The Hawaii Department of Agriculture said yesterday it picked up a tegu lizard (Tupinambis teguixin) from a Waianae resident who reported that she found the lizard after she heard her dogs barking.

The lizard is native to South America and is often kept as a pet, but is illegal in Hawaii. The Agriculture Department said tegu lizards can grow as large as 5 feet long and are a threat to ground-nesting birds. The lizard also can be a source of bacterial contamination to crops.

To report illegal animals, call the pest hot line at 643-PEST (7378).