Central O'ahu hit by more wet weather
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
Central O'ahu residents sloshed through a second consecutive day of heavy rains yesterday, and conditions are ripe for a couple more days of unstable weather.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
Nearly 3 inches of rain were recorded during a three-hour period at Schofield Barracks' East Range and Wheeler Army Airfield in Wahiawa yesterday. The only other rain gauge that recorded more than an inch of rain yesterday was at Waihe'e in Windward O'ahu.
Civil Defense Coordinator Francis Pedro blocks off the Kamehameha Highway exit from town-bound lanes of Wilikina Drive near Wheeler Army Airfield yesterday. Heavy rains caused some flooding in Central Oahu.
The heavy rain caused ponding on roads and other minor flooding, but there were no reports of serious damage. Traffic in some areas also came to a crawl as the rain and poor visibility made driving difficult.
"It's been kind of wild," said Hans Rosendal, National Weather Service lead forecaster
And the ride may continue today and tomorrow as ground heating, coupled with unstable atmospheric conditions, could produce more heavy rains and even thundershowers. Rosendal said light trade winds are expected to return Sunday, bringing more stable weather.
The Weather Service issued a flash-flood warning shortly before 2 p.m. yesterday for the Central O'ahu area, but the warning was cancelled about three hours later as the rain let up.
Whitmore Village resident Sheri Bentley was caught in the rain on Wednesday and yesterday. She said she hadn't experienced such weather in a while.
"If we had an ark, it would have floated," Bentley said.
Bentley said she and other senior citizens were stranded in a gazebo as the rain fell in sheets around them.
"Everybody was stuck. We couldn't go from there back to their houses because it was pouring," she said. "You're just going to drown if you go out in it, or you're gonna slip and fall, so you more or less stay put where you are — if you're smart, that is."
