Rain predicted to linger over O'ahu till Saturday
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
A rare sight appeared over Central and Windward O'ahu yesterday: rain.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
And it wasn't just a cooling drizzle, but a heavy downpour accompanied by thunder and lightning. Motorists reported near-zero visibility from Mililani to Wahiawa and around to the North Shore and Windward O'ahu, but police and fire officials reported no serious accidents or flooding.
Rain clouds darkened much of O'ahu yesterday and dropped as much as 2 inches on Windward and Central areas. Traffic on Kamehameha Highway in the Helemano area, above, was slowed by the downpour.
National Weather Service forecaster Jonathan Hoag said conditions that contributed to yesterday's heavy rain will linger today and tomorrow, and residents can expect more wet afternoons.
"The atmosphere is unstable and the heating of the land provides rising air that causes the thunderstorm. Typically, the atmosphere, when we have trade winds, is stable so this (thunderstorm) is a possibility when you have a lack of trade winds," Hoag said.
An urban and small stream flood advisory that was issued at 3 p.m. yesterday was cancelled by the National Weather Service last night.
Although the downpours were brief, they were welcomed after months of dry weather.
More than 2 inches of rain fell at Schofield Barracks' East Range during a six-hour period ending at 5 p.m. In Windward O'ahu, nearly 1.5 inches of rain was recorded in Waihe'e during the same period.
Heavy rain also was reported yesterday afternoon in Kahului on Maui where only a trace amount of rain was recorded last month.
