CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Joel Kanemori rushed off in the rain today with a bouquet from Rudy's Flowers in Honolulu.
It's turning out to be soggy Valentine's Day in Hawaii. A mushy
... as in rain ...
Valentine for islesForecasters say the weather
should clear by President's DayBy Nelson Daranciang
ndaranciang@starbulletin.com
"We're going to be kind of like this drippy misty rain through today," said Kevin Kodama with the National Weather Service.
A weather system moving through the islands dumped heavy rains on Oahu, Kauai and Maui County this morning and yesterday and was expected to hit the Big Island this afternoon and evening.
The storm caused minor flooding and affected the morning commute on Oahu, but no major damage was reported. On Kauai, the rain caused flooding and landslides along the North Shore and affected traffic yesterday.
An urban and small stream flood advisory was in effect this morning for Oahu and Maui, Molokai and Lanai.
Oahu Civil Defense workers went to Waiahole Valley Road about 4 a.m. on reports that the road was under three feet of water, said Doug Aton, acting administrator.
"When they got there it wasn't quite three feet, just a normal overflow from three streams in the area," Aton said.
The workers stayed during morning rush hour to monitor the traffic and caution motorists. However, the road remained open.
Police also received reports of a minor mud slide on Kalanianaole Highway near Castle Junction. All lanes remained open.
The cold front also brought high winds to parts of the Oahu. A wind advisory was in effect for all islands. The advisory means winds of 30-40 mph were occurring with some spots downwind of mountains and tall buildings experiencing winds of 40-50 mph.
The weather was to blame for a momentary power outage in Kaneohe at 1:14 a.m., said Fred Kobashikawa, Hawaiian Electric Company spokesman. A line broke but did not fall to the ground. The break probably was caused by gusty winds, Kobashikawa said.
The weather is expected to improve this weekend and President's Day is expected to be mostly sunny, Kodama said.
Star-Bulletin reporter Tony Sommer contributed to this report.
