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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, November 12, 2009

Heavy rains hit Big Island, Maui


Advertiser Staff

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Infrared satellite images show huge bands of rain and thunderstorms moving counter-clockwise around the Islands this morning. To see a satellite loop of the images, go to: http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/pages/sat_Hawaiiir.php

NOAA satellite photo

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Heavy rains hit East Hawaii this afternoon, with some areas receiving 1 to 2 inches of rain an hour about 3:30 p.m., the National Weather Service reported.
At 4:09 p.m radar showed heavy rain between Mountain View and Volcano, and between Hilo and Pepeekeo.
The area of heavy rain was moving north at 15 mph. A flood advisory for the Big Island is in effect until at least 7:15 p.m.
Maui County was also receiving heavy rain over the windward side of Haleakala. Radar estimated rainfall at 1 to 3 inches per hours along slopes between Hamoa and Nahiku.
A flood advisory for Maui County is in effect until at least 6:45 p.m.

The National Weather Service this afternoon extended a flash flood watch through Friday afternoon.
A low-pressure system west of the state will continue to move west-southwest, forecasters said. It is making the atmosphere unstable and creating conditions where heavy showers are possible today and tomorrow.
Bad weather in bunches is circling Hawaii. Infrared satellite images this morning showed huge bands of rain and thunderstorms moving counter-clockwise around the Islands.
In a loop, it looks like a scene from an old Western in which a wagon train is under seige.
That’s the stuff that has National Weather Service forecasters concerned.
The heaviest concentration of storms is to the north and northwest of the Islands, forecaster Ian Morrison said.
So far, it has been the outermost islands that have been brushed by the conditions. Yesterday, they brought thunder and dumped nearly 2 inches of rain on Hilo. Early this morning they drenched Kauai.
Morrison said the unstable conditions can be unpredictable and could bring heavy and widespread rain and possibly thunder showers to Oahu this afternoon as more moist air is pulled up from the south.
With that, a statewide flash-flood watch remains in effect through late tonight.
A flash-flood watch means that conditions could develop that lead to flash flooding. Residents in flood-prone areas should be vigilant and prepared to leave quickly in the event of flooding.
The bad weather is also kicking up waves, and a high-surf warning is now in effect for north- and east-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu and Maui County and east-facing shores on the Big Island.
A warning indicates high surf is creating extremely dangerous swimming or surfing conditions.
The weather service says a strong high-pressure system far north of the Island has combined with a nearby low-pressure system to create a large north-northwest swell.
Surf of 12 to 18 feet is expected.
The swell is expected to turn toward an east-northeast direction today and keep wave faces elevated into the weekend.
Earlier this morning, authorities on Kauai reported wave faces of 20 to 30 feet along the north shore and urged beachgoers to avoid the area.
On Oahu, lifeguards were asking beachgoers to check with them before entering the water.
Bryan Cheplic of the city’s Emergency Services Department said the swell was driving big surf toward Makapuu and Sandy Beach and creating dangerous conditions because of the severe northeasterly angle at which it was hitting the shores.