Drenching showers let up, but forecasters say threat of flooding possible through weekend
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Severe weather knocked out power to thousands on Saturday and triggered drenching rains that closed roads.
The rain has let up, but forecasters are encouraging residents to remain vigilant: Even a moderate shower could trigger flooding because the ground is saturated.
The wet weather kept Hawaiian Electric crews busy.
Large outages were reported in Mililani and elsewhere in Central and Leeward Oahu.
On Kauai, emergency officials closed Kuhio Highway at the Hanalei Bridge because of flooding.
Megan Wong, of Hanalei, said thunder rattled her home at around midnight and woke up her family.
“It sounded like a truck ran into the house and then we saw lightning,” said Wong. “It was really dark and then there was like a flash of lightning and instantly behind it, it was like a boom.”
On Oahu, flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder were seen and heard over many parts of the island, including downtown Honolulu.
An HNN viewer sent in photos of a tree in Ewa Beach that had been split in half by a bolt of lightning.
Britt Young, of Honolulu, said it happened about an hour and half before a dog race was set to begin at Ewa Beach Community Park.
“We all were gasping and certainly very afraid that this could happen closer to where we were, we were around several trees,” said Young.
About a mile away from the park, a fallen tree just missed a home on Fort Weaver Road by inches.
“The tree was hanging over the rock wall with it extended almost hitting the house or barely hitting the house,” said Makoa Liftee of Ewa Beach.
On the windward side, stream levels at Waiahole Stream were reported to be rising rapidly, with rising water at nearby Waikane Stream as well.
The National Weather Service said unstable, wet weather is expected through the weekend.
A typical tradewind pattern is expected to return Monday.
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