Updated at 9:47 a.m., Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Flash flood warning for Moloka'i; airport area hard hit
Advertiser Staff
The National Weather Service has posted a flash flood warning for the island of Moloka'i.At 9:10 a.m. today, radar showed heavy rain falling from the Moloka'i Airport at Ho'olehua eastward to Halawa Valley.
The heavy rain was moving slowly to the east.
Streams and low-water crossings along Highway 450 will see dangerous rises in water levels, especially between mile markers 3 and 18, forecasters said.
Other areas in the warning include, but are not limited to, Kualapu'u, Kamalo and Kalaupapa.
The flash flood warning will remain in effect until 12:15 p.m. and may be extended.
A flash flood warning means flash flooding is imminent or occurring in streams, roads and low-lying areas.
Kimo Paleka, a security officer at Moloka'i Airport, said the airport area was hard hit with heavy rains, thunder and lightning.
He said the storm moved in from the west, dropped heavy rain over the airport and then moved toward Molokai's East End.
Paleka said a few flights were delayed during the worst of the storm.
"It's OK now, it has cleared up quite a bit, but it was really coming down for awhile," Paleka said.
