Parts of O'ahu got as much as 5 inches of rain yesterday, but all in all the steady downpour had not resulted in flash flooding or other serious problems by last night and the worst was likely over.

In fact, some praised the rain as an outright blessing.

"We had steady, light to moderate rainfall," said Tom Birchard, lead forecaster for the National Weather Service in Hawai'i. "There have been some isolated heavy pockets. But so far, this has been more beneficial than harmful."

Yesterday's steady rain allowed for more moisture penetration into the ground, Birchard said, and thus did much to replenish O'ahu's depleted aquifers.

A flash-flood watch remained in effect until 4 a.m. today, and the storm system that drenched much of the state starting Friday was expected to slowly drift to the south and west, away from the Islands.

By this afternoon, trade winds should be returning, the weather service said.

The worst of the rain system probably occurred overnight on Friday and yesterday, forecasters said.

"We like this kind of rain," said Su Shin, spokeswoman for the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, who pointed out that the Islands — particularly O'ahu and the Big Island — have suffered drought conditions in recent months.

Still, not all rain is good rain.

"People would assume that we like any kind of rain, and the more the better," Shin said. "But torrential downpours are never that great for water supply."

Shin compared O'ahu to a dry sponge and yesterday's weather to a light, continuous flow of water.

"If you poured a glass full of water on a dry sponge, a lot of the water wouldn't get absorbed," she said. "Whereas, if you stuck the sponge under a faucet flowing at a slow trickle, it would absorb much of the moisture before it got saturated — and then it would start to run off."

Kevin Kodama, a hydrologist with the Honolulu forecast office, said the steady rainfall will not solve O'ahu's drought, but will have a positive impact.

"The rain won't be a drought-buster in and of itself, but it is certainly a step toward bringing some much-needed drought relief," Kodama said.

Reaction to the showers on Kaua'i was similar.

"We've had continuous rain, but nothing real heavy," said Kaua'i County spokeswoman Mary Daubert. "We have ponding and runoff, and some tree branches down on Koke'e Road, but nothing reported of flooding or major damage."

On Friday, weather officials became concerned that a low-pressure area north of Kaua'i might destabilize the atmosphere, leading to sudden downpours and flash floods. Although those conditions hadn't materialized by last night, the potential for heavy rain was still a possibility. Weather service officials left a flash-flood watch in effect for all islands except the Big Island through this morning.

Yesterday, most of O'ahu had received 2 to 3 inches of rain in the preceding 24-hour period, Birchard said. Parts of Windward O'ahu received the most rainfall — as much as 5 inches over the preceding 24 hours.

Parts of Kaua'i had 24-hour totals of more than 4 inches of rain, he added.

Honolulu police and firefighters blamed sporadic damage and minor mishaps on the rain, which at times was intense. Fallen limbs and downed power lines were reported. A tree and nearly a dozen boulders blocked the east-bound lane of Farrington Highway near Makua Cave early yesterday morning, police said.

There were high waters in Makiki and Manoa streams, but the water didn't overflow the banks. The Clean Water Branch of the state health department reported sewer manhole overflows at three locations, two in Nu'uanu and one in Kailua.

The American Red Cross opened a shelter last night about 6 p.m. after high winds and rainfall in Wai'anae.

A spokeswoman said about 30 people living on the beach had their tents shredded by the winds, so the shelter was opened to help them.

At 1732 Gulick Ave. in Kalihi, the ramshackle structure made of poles, plywood and tarps that once housed as many as 50 people and was shut down after it collapsed Oct. 26, took another tumble because of heavy rains.

Neighbors said another large section of the dilapidated structure, which is built onto the back of a house, fell into Kalihi Stream.

All in all, though, the day was a far cry from anything that could be described as a disaster.

Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. Robert Main said firefighters had been prepared to respond to any major incidents caused by rain. But nothing of that magnitude was reported by sundown, when the rains had begun to subside, he said.

"It was one of those situations where you plan for the worst and hope for the best," Main said. "So far it's been pretty peaceful."