Heavy rain
drenches isles

Kauai is hard hit but Tiger Woods
and other golf stars still compete

By Star-Bulletin staff

Keep those rain slickers and umbrellas handy through tonight, warns the National Weather Service.

Isolated thundershowers, sometimes heavy, will continue to move over Oahu.

Heaviest hit as of this morning was Kauai, which reported as much as a quarter-inch of rain, according to weather forecaster Tim Craig.

"The really heavy stuff is over Kauai," Craig said.

He said the island faces a greater chance of actual flooding from the heavy rains.

However, officials with the MasterCard PGA Grand Slam in Poipu decided to continue the golf tournament into the final round as the rain showed signs of diminishing.

The isolated thundershowers stem from a surface low-pressure system that developed west of Kauai, Craig said.

While sections of Oahu may experience thunder and lightning, the rain will not be widespread over the entire island, the weather service said.

Craig said the isolated thundershowers means it could be dry in Koko Head and very wet in Diamond Head and Waikiki.

One consolation is the heavy rains could wash away the vog conditions brought by kona winds that have descended on Oahu recently.

The weather front brought some good news to Hawaii's surfers. The National Weather Service hoisted a high surf advisory this morning, forecasting surf of 6 to 10 feet, with occasional higher sets, on the northern shores of all islands. Surf along the western shores was expected to hit 4 to 7 feet today.