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December 6, 2021
by Caleb Jones
A strong storm with strong winds and extremely heavy rain flooded roads and erupted electricity across Hawaii. Officials on Monday warned of potentially worse conditions.
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The National Weather Service said the storm risked « catastrophic flooding » in the coming days as a low pressure system slowly moved east to west and lingered on the edge of the archipelago.
« Now it is time to make sure you have a contingency plan and supplies ready in case you have to walk away from rising tide, « said Governor David Ige, who declared a state of emergency on all islands in the state on Monday evening.
On Oahu, where four shelters had opened, most Waikiki beaches were empty on Monday as few people wore umbrellas while heavy showers passed. The streets in the area flooded and cars crawled downtown as water gushed from the manhole covers.
Honolulu firefighters rescued five boys, ages 9-10, from a roaring stream, a fire department statement said .
A boy was rescued after he let go of a branch and the rushing water brought him to nearby firefighters who grabbed him. Firefighters used a ladder to rescue another boy further downstream and jumped into the creek to get the other three out of the water, the statement said.
None of the boys were injured and the fire department said that they went to play in the creek after school.
Maui has already reported power outages and floods, with more than 30 centimeters of rain falling in some areas.
The incessant rain forced three couples from the US mainland to postpone their elopements to Maui, said Nicole Bonanno, owner of Bella Bloom Floral, a wedding florist and boutique in Wailea.
The weather also resulted in delayed flower deliveries, a lei company with no power and employees that flooded the streets Bonanno said.
Maui-resident Jimmy Gomes waited for the lights to come back to his house on Monday after turning the power on at 6 p.m. had lost. Sunday. His rain gauge measured 17.78 centimeters: « I haven’t seen rain like this in a long time, » he said.
« The wind howled last night, » he said. « But this morning it was really foggy and it rained, then it stopped. »
The Mayor of Big Island, Mitch Roth, declared a state of emergency on Sunday because of possible heavy rain and strong winds.
Some areas south of Hilo were hit hard by extremely heavy rainfall over the weekend, the weather authorities said.
All islands will continue to be threatened by flash floods, lightning strikes, landslides and high winds for the next two days, according to the National Weather Service.
Oahu and Kauai could see the brunt of the storm on Monday and Tuesday. But for Maui and the Big Island, which are already drenched, « it won’t take a lot of additional rain to really create big problems, » said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meteorologist Robert Ballard. Kona low « known winter weather system set off emergency alarms throughout the weekend and provided wind, rain and even blizzard conditions in some of the highest peaks in Hawaii.
Snow is not uncommon on the nearly 4,270 meter high peak of Mauna Kea. The last time there was a snow storm warning for the summit was in 2018. There are no residents at the summit, but there are telescope observatories and other offices where officials work.
The weather service said there have been reports of eight inches of snow on the road under the Mauna Kea peak, and the officials worked to get to the top for more readings. The forecast was for one foot of snow on the top of the mountain.
There were also strong winds with gusts of almost 138 km / h recorded on Mauna Kea.
Also in other areas at lower elevations there were strong winds with gusts of over 50 mph, which according to weather authorities were recorded in several locations across the state.
Kona Low is a type of low pressure system that forms near Hawaii during the winter season and has some unique meteorological features Said Ballard, science and operations officer for the National Weather Service in Hawaii.
« What we usually see is an enormous amount of tropical moisture being drawn up from equatorial regions. Kona lows move slowly, so heavy rain and thunderstorms can concentrate in one area for long periods of time, also causing quite strong to noxious winds, « Ballard said.
Hawaii has aging dams across the state that are problematic in previous storms In 2006, a wall of earth in Kauai’s Kaloko Reservoir collapsed in heavy rain, sending a wave of water and mud down a slope, killing seven people, including a pregnant woman.
March rains left fear a dam broke on Maui when floods destroyed homes and flooded streets. The same storm system brought harmful flooding to Oahu and a landslide to Kauai.
Ballard said other state and federal agencies are monitoring dams, but they are the conditions that people would need to be careful about.
« It’s just a situation that we continue to monitor un We need to be aware and make sure people understand that this is the kind of situation where we can get flash floods very, very suddenly, « Ballard said.
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