A baker’s dozen worth of beaches remained off-limits today because of bacteria in the water, drenched telephone lines prompted thousands of complaints over the weekend, and potholes bigger than basketballs dotted state and city roads.

Thirteen beaches, harbors and waterways were polluted by sewage spills and runoff when rain Friday overwhelmed O'ahu’s wastewater system. Bacteria levels in the water are high enough to potentially make swimmers sick.

"We’re still recommending that people not enter those waters until they clear up," said Janice Okubo, spokeswoman for the state Department of Health. "They should wait until tomorrow."

Okubo said warning signs will remain in place at select beaches until the waters clear. Officials will take more samples today.

Warnings were in effect for Honolulu Harbor, the Ala Wai Canal, Kailua, Wailupe, Waimalu, Salt Lake, Palolo, Manoa, Nu'uanu, Kalihi, Enchanted Lake, Bellows and Waimanalo.

Soggy soil continues to create telephone problems and repair crews are working mandatory overtime shifts to deal with them, said Ann Nishida, a spokeswoman for Verizon Hawai'i.

Customers have lost service, and had intermittent service and static on their lines — most of it caused by wet underground phone lines, Nishida said. Over the weekend, there were 3,500 trouble calls on O'ahu, 430 on Maui, 190 on the Big Island and 40 on Kaua'i.

"It’s all over," Nishida said. "It is not concentrated on any one particular area like earlier in December, where it was in 'Aiea and Pearl City."

There was no problem with the state Department of Transportation’s pothole repair hotline: It was nearly full of complaints by Sunday evening, said department spokesman Scott Ishikawa.

"We did some repairs over the weekend," he said. "We did a lot of the big ones. We will be reassessing them today."

Also, a state engineer inspected several areas where landslides have been a problem — Makapu'u, Castle Junction and Kipapa Gulch — and pronounced them "stable," Ishikawa said.

But the sunshine out there, well, that was glorious, with gloomy skies giving way to sun-kissed beaches and packs of roving pedestrians.

National Weather Service lead forecaster Bob Farrell said yesterday’s clear, sunny skies should carry through much of the week, although "it may not be quite this good," Farrell said.

He cautioned that the pristine weather could fade toward the end of the week, when he expects a small storm front to brush up against the Islands. He said that by Thursday, O'ahu could see cloud cover, some showers and slight winds, but nothing like last week’s rains that flooded homes, triggered mudslides and knocked out power.

Despite the murky water, yesterday’s warm weather drew hundreds of beachgoers to Waikiki and Ala Moana.

"We’re on vacation, and it was raining for a couple of days," said Jenny Hishikawa, a former Hawai'i resident who lives in New Jersey.

Hishikawa, flanked by her sister and mother-in-law, played with her young son, Alexander, at Ala Moana Beach Park yesterday. In town for her brother’s wedding, Hishikawa’s family said the rain dampened Friday’s festivities, forcing the wedding indoors at the University of Hawai'i’s Jefferson Hall.

Les Nuuhiwa, a Waimalu resident and classic car collector, was out cruising with other aficionados yesterday in the Magic Island parking lot.

Nuuhiwa and a group of about eight drivers all had their old-school rides shining yesterday, as the weather permitted them to drive around the island, a monthly occurrence Nuuhiwa said.

"Today was a nice day, so we went," Nuuhiwa said, standing next to his green-with-mint-trim ’55 Chevrolet Bel-Air.

In Chinatown, people breezed through the O'ahu Market and the Kekaulike Mall, browsing the outdoor stalls for fresh produce, or simply enjoying a walk.

Veto Baker, a landscaper, walked around yesterday while his wife shopped. He said rain or shine was all the same to him.