|
Waterspouts follow
grounding of big ship
It was not your typical morning off the Leeward Coast yesterday: A huge waterspout was visible from Kapolei, and a 555-foot-long ship loaded with cement grounded outside Barbers Point Harbor.
The Coast Guard is investigating whether the grounding of the Hong Kong-flagged ship Cape Flattery about 400 yards from Barbers Point Harbor was weather-related or due to other causes.
Winter thunderstorms dropped 4 to 10 inches of rain on Kauai and 1 to 2 inches on Oahu yesterday. A statewide flash flood watch was extended several times yesterday and was expected to remain in effect until today.
The weather service confirmed one waterspout west of Barbers Point about 8:45 a.m., and a funnel cloud five or more miles offshore from Makakilo at 9:30 or 10 a.m.
But Waianae Harbormaster William Aila said he saw seven waterspouts off the Leeward Coast over the course of the day.
No weather-related injuries or accidents were reported.
The Cape Flattery grounded about 7 a.m. and remained aground on sand and coral last night as tugboats resumed trying to move it as the tide rose, Coast Guard spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson said. Earlier attempts to move it with tugs failed.
A Coast Guard helicopter passed yesterday over the bulk freighter Cape Flattery, which was stuck on a reef about 400 yards from Barbers Point Harbor.
If the move is successful, the hull will be examined again today before the cargo is unloaded, she said.
This is the second major vessel to get stuck off Barbers Point. In 1989 the 800-foot oil tanker Exxon Houston ran aground, spilling 2,800 barrels of oil into storm-driven seas.
The Cape Flattery is a bulk carrier managed by Pacific Basin Shipping HK Ltd. and has 117,000 gallons of fuel oil and lubricants, the Coast Guard said. The ship had traveled from Bilbao in the Philippines, said ship's spokesman Jim Lawrence.
Rain clouds are expected to move to Maui and the Big Island today, but Oahu and Kauai could continue to see rainfall through this afternoon, said Bob Farrell, lead meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Honolulu office. Rain could continue on Maui and the Big Island through Friday and Saturday.
"Midlatitude troughs don't generally get this far south, but this is winter and it's not uncommon in winter," Farrell said. The conditions favor formation of tornadoes over land and waterspouts over water.
Aila said he saw four waterspouts in the morning, about three miles off Maili Point, then one around midday about two miles out of Waianae Harbor, and two more in the afternoon about two miles west of the harbor.
Despite the waterspouts and rain, Aila said boaters continued to go out yesterday from Waianae Harbor.
On the Big Island, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources closed the Muliwai and Ainapo trails and Waimanu Valley Campground on Monday in anticipation of heavy rain and flash flooding that could make the remote area dangerous for campers. The areas will be reopened when conditions improve, said DLNR spokeswoman Debbie Ward.
At midafternoon yesterday, Kauai was "socked in and still raining," reported Gordon Tamura, Kauai Fire Department battalion chief. But other than Hanalei Bridge being closed, there were no other road closures, he said. The bridge was reopened at 7:20 p.m.
In Aina Haina a family returned to their home on Ahuwale Place after evacuating Monday night because of a rock- and mudslide. A woman at the home yesterday said that the family did not believe it was in danger. Rocks and soil had breached a stone wall at the edge of the property, spilling onto a portion of Ahuwale Street without homes.
[News] [Business] [Features] [Sports] [Editorial] [Do It Electric!]
[Classified Ads] [Search] [Subscribe] [Info] [Letter to Editor]
[Feedback]
