Waters swirl in Manoa Stream off Woodlawn Drive as O'ahu continues to be drenched by heavy rains. Advertiser Staff   Waterfalls stream down from Mariners Ridge in Hawai'i Kai at about 8:30 this morning. Dean Powell | Special to The Advertiser   A portion of Honolulu Country Club was submerged in rainwater today. Donovan Mochizuki | Special to The Advertiser   Heavy rains today turned the Ala Wai Canal a dirty brown, with waters nearly reaching its banks. Edward Barinque | Special to The Advertiser

Moloka'i and parts of O'ahu were receiving the brunt of the rain at about 9:40 p.m., weather service forecaster Peter Donaldson said.

A flood advisory is in effect for O'ahu and Moloka'i until 12:15 a.m.

At 6:14 p.m., radar showed heavy rains along a band from La'ie to Barbers Point, the weather service said.

The band was moving slowly east and was expected to spread across O'ahu. Because the island is saturated from earlier rains, streams may rise rapidly and road conditions may be hazardous, the weather service said.

Meanwhile a large south swell is building, peaking tonight, that will bring surf as high as 16 feet on southeast-facing shores. The weather service warns boaters that the swell could cause harbor surges.

"A south swell like this is pretty unusual for this late in the year," said John Bravender, National Weather Service meteorologist. "Usually south swells are in the summer. A high-surf warning of 15 feet for the south shore is pretty unusual for any time of the year."

FIRST WINTER STORM

The winter season's first big rain storm brought heavy showers, lightning and led to the temporary closure of a portion of Kamehameha Highway when the Waikane Stream overflowed its banks.

Although no major damage was reported from overnight, a boulder crashed into a house in 'Aina Haina and a home in Waimanalo was flooded.

A flash flood warning expired at 9:45 a.m.

But another storm is moving in and could bring in unstable weather to the Islands, Bravender said.

Stan Martinez, a state Civil Defense operations and threat specialist, said there have not been any reports of rain-related problems on the Neighbor Islands. On O'ahu, there have been reports of water ponding in Lanikai and near the Arizona Memorial.

EMERGENCY PERSONNEL RESPOND

Firefighters have responded to more than a dozen calls since the rain began in earnest around midnight, said Fire Capt. Robert Main. Reports of flooded roads, downed power lines and fire alarms activated because of the rainfall.

The National Weather Service reported that 8.1 inches of rain fell in the Punalu'u area, 8.55 inches in the Waihe'e area and more than 6 inches in Waimanalo, according to the weather service's 8 a.m. rainfall data.

Earlier today, a rain gauge in Punalu'u on the Windward Coast recorded rainfall rates in excess of 3 inches per hour.