High surf, rain bring warnings about El Niño
| • | Rockslide revives Makapu'u project |
By Curtis Lum and Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Staff Writers
The first big waves of the winter surf season reached Hawai'i's northwest shores yesterday, but larger swells as high as 20 feet are forecast for this week.
Waves of 10 to 18 feet were reported on Kaua'i yesterday, which led the National Weather Service to issue a high surf advisory. Lead forecaster Bob Farrell said surf of 10 to 15 feet should reach O'ahu's northwest shores by noon today, with slightly smaller sets expected for all other islands.
"This is the first significant winter swell," Farrell said.
There were no reports of injuries or property damage from yesterday's high surf.
The surf is expected to intensify Friday, when waves generated by Typhoon Babi off Japan's east coast will reach heights of 20 feet, Farrell said. The weather service will issue a high surf warning if the waves reach 25 feet, he said.
The big surf is just a sign of things to come, forecasters said. Residents also should expect a dry, cool winter, with some risk of the tropical storms associated with El Niño conditions.
Jim Weyman, meteorologist in charge of the Honolulu Forecast Office, offered the predictions at a news conference yesterday. He said the forecast includes the potential for late-season tropical cyclones, cooler-than-usual temperatures from December through April, and less rainfall in those months.
The potential also exists for bigger surf on the north and northwest shores. Weyman joined other government agencies yesterday in urging people to be prepared for weather-related emergencies.
Weyman said the warmer water in the Pacific characteristic of El Niño had appeared. The weather phenomenon, which occurs about every four to five years, brings severe storms, heat waves, drought and floods.
This El Niño is forecast to be a "weak to moderate" event, significantly milder than the one in 1997-98, which brought flooding to California and the U.S. Gulf Coast and caused $96 billion in crop and property losses worldwide.
Meteorologist Tom Heffner also warned of winter storms that have been known to bring as much as 24 inches of rain in a 24-hour period.
Much of the state was under a flash-flood watch yesterday as a storm system dumped nearly 4 inches of rain on several communities. That caused problems on O'ahu and Maui, including a rockslide at Makapu'u that closed a section of Kalaniana'ole Highway.
Traffic also was snarled yesterday morning by two utility poles that fell across Kamehameha Highway in Pupukea and affected area phone service. The poles were cleared by 4 p.m. and service was expected to be restored by midnight, said Verizon Hawaii spokeswoman Ann Nishida.
Firefighters responded to several rain-related calls. The most serious was at the Villages on the Green townhouse complex in Waikele, where a drainage ditch overflowed.
Some residents suffered flooding damage similar to that caused by heavy rains two years ago. They blamed runoff from the adjacent Central O'ahu Regional Park, but city managing director Ben Lee noted that the townhouse complex's 18-inch-wide drainage canal also was clogged.
Lee, who visited the Waikele complex to hear complaints, said a city contractor was digging a ditch last night at the park as "a second line of defense" for the residents.
On Maui, water service was cut off from Polipoli to Kanaio in the Upcountry region after heavy rain washed out supports for an 8-inch pipeline suspended over a Kula gulch. Repairs were expected to take two days, and customers on the Upper Kula water system are being asked to conserve water.
Lahainaluna High School and St. Joseph School on Maui and Kilohana Elementary School on Moloka'i were expected to reopen after flooding closed them yesterday.
At Lahainaluna, mud from the library construction site washed into a science lab and old library, and the school office was ankle-deep in water, said Vice Principal Lynn Kaho'ohalahala.
On O'ahu, 3.8 inches of rain were recorded in Waiawa in the 24 hours ending at 3 p.m. yesterday, while 3.6 fell on Waipi'o and Waihe'e.
Farrell said rain should continue through tomorrow, with trade winds returning possibly Sunday.
Advertiser staff writers Rod Ohira, Christie Wilson and Scott Ishikawa contributed to this report.
