Posted at 11:27 a.m., Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Rainfall, accidents jam Central O'ahu corridor commute
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
Eight freeway traffic collisions were reported between Pearl City and 'Aiea from 5:30 to 8:30 a.m., according to police dispatchers.
The accidents included one overturned vehicle near the Radford overpass and an accident in the Zipper lane involving a bus.
No major injuries were reported, police said.
The National Weather Service forecast calls for more showers through tomorrow morning. Today’s heaviest rainfall occurred in East Honolulu where .93 inch fell in Niu Valley from 8 a.m. yesterday to 8 a.m. today, said lead forecaster Roy Matsuda.
Other O'ahu reporting sites recorded rainfall in the one-quarter to one-half inch range today, Matsuda added.
Unstable air masses will result in overnight showers over Windward O'ahu extending to Leeward O'ahu by tomorrow evening. "When it’s unstable like this, land heat will create showers during the day and the it’s the ocean (temperature) that causes the showers at night," Matsuda said.
Under similar weather conditions tomorrow, police Lt. Ron Bode of the Traffic Safety Section advises that motorists be more vigilant.
"They should exercise basic caution by focusing on safer following distances (to account for sudden stops)," Bode said. "The following distance is the most important factor in these (bad driving) situations."
