#storm

The state of Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency urges all Hawaiʻi residents to remain vigilant after the National Weather Service extended the Flood Watch for the entire state through 6 p.m. Monday.

A Flood Watch is in effect for the entire state through Friday afternoon. The National Weather Service reports that low pressure developing west of the islands will draw abundant moisture northward as it strengthens during the next couple of days. This will bring potential for heavy rain and thunderstorms leading to flash flooding over all Hawaiian islands.

A winter and spring of record-setting rainfall in Hawaiʻi likely is linked to record-breaking heat on the U.S. West Coast, the National Weather Service said.

Residents say more a new flood control project and better stormwater management is sorely needed.

The town’s clinic had to discard $15,000 to $20,000 worth of refrigerated vaccines and medicine, while local stores also lost thousands of dollars worth of products.

A plan to use $130 million from the state’s first climate impact tax got the full backing of lawmakers on the critical House Finance Committee. Now it heads to the Senate.

A powerful kona storm will begin impacting the western end of the state as early as Tuesday, then spread across the remainder of the island chain by midweek.

Forecasters with NOAA’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center and Climate Prediction Center today said the outlook calls for 1 to 4 tropical cyclones across the central Pacific this season.

Locally heavy rain and a slight chance of thunderstorms is forecast through Friday. A new storm system could bring another chance for heavy rainfall and thunderstorms to the islands Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the NWS.

Hawaiian Electric crews on Maui have been working to bolster the island’s resilience against severe weather-related events through a series of ongoing initiatives.

Additional heavy rain may develop, and the ground remains saturated, thus a Flash Flood Watch remains in effect through 6 a.m. Sunday.

Surf of up to 60 feet is forecast on Sunday as an unusually strong storm system moves toward the islands from the north over the weekend.

Maui Electric crews are continuing restoration efforts on Moloka‘i today to bring approximately 700 customers on the East End and Kaluakoi area back online.

“It’s important not to assume that the impacts of the storm are done since the eye of the storm has already passed us,” said Mayor Arakawa.

In the event of outages, repair crews will be dispatched when conditions are safe to do so. Should customers experience any outages or encounter downed power lines, please report them to Maui Electric’s trouble line at 871-7777 on Maui or toll-free for Lānaʻi or Molokaʻi at 1-877-871-8461.

As Hurricane Lane heads closer to the islands, the Hawaiian Electric Companies are activating their emergency response plans and readying crews to respond where needed.

The National Weather Service in Honolulu has issued a Flood advisory for the islands of Maui and Lānaʻi until 7 p.m. HST.

The County of Maui website has a new page devoted to storm water, including the County’s stormwater management plan for the Kahului-Pāʻia Urbanized Area.

Rain totals for the 12 hour period ending at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2016, included more than 9 inches at Puʻu Kukui, 6 inches at Hāna Airport, and 3 inches at both West Wailuaiki and Haʻikū.

The flood advisory that was in effect for Maui has since expired as of 4 p.m.