FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM A runner jogging in the rain crossed the street yesterday behind other pedestrians under umbrellas at the intersection of Beretania and Punchbowl streets.

Rain hurts
Likelike traffic

Three accidents force lane closures
during afternoon rush hour

Afternoon showers made Oahu roads slippery yesterday, leading to three accidents in the Wilson Tunnel that shut the Likelike Highway's Kaneohe-bound lanes during rush hour.

Police shut the highway after the accidents occurred between 3:50 and 5:15 p.m. The road was closed for about an hour after the third accident. No injuries were reported.

The road surface inside the tunnel is concrete, which makes for a more slippery roadway than asphalt, according to police.

Yesterday's rain came ahead of a cold front that was hovering over Kauai in the evening and expected to move to Oahu last night, said Tim Craig, lead forecaster at the National Weather Service.

The front, which also brought strong winds, is expected to stall over Maui County and dissipate today or tonight, Craig said.

A high-surf warning, meanwhile, will likely remain in effect today for north- and west-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu and Molokai.

The National Weather Service predicted that waves would reach up to 40 feet on Oahu's North Shore last night and gradually decrease to 20 to 25 feet today.

"We got surf that was in the 15- to 25-foot range all day (on the North Shore)," Lt. John Hoogsteden of the Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services Division said yesterday.

Surf on west-facing shores was expected to drop to 12 to 22 feet today from 15 to 25 feet last night.

There were no reports of rescues or road closures. However, some water and debris swept over Kamehameha Highway near Chun's Reef and Waimea Bay.

State road crew members were called to clear the debris, said Peter Hirai, plans and operations officer for Oahu Civil Defense.