Flood Watch for Maui County until Late Thursday

By Wendy Osher

Water Vapor image for Hawaii on April 6, 2011. Image courtesy National Weather Service and NOAA. Click to view image in detail.

A Flood Watch remains in effect through late Thursday night for all Hawaiian Islands including Maui County. The unstable weather is the result of a cold low approaching the state.

The system will bring locally heavy showers and thunderstorms to the state with unstable spotty conditions. The chance of showers will increase as the day progresses.

There’s also a winter weather advisory in effect for the Big Island Summits. Forecasters from the National Weather Service say snow or ice pellets will fall on the summits above the 10-thousand foot elevation.

The low is expected to move away from the state on Thursday, but persistent southeast winds will increase moisture, leading to prolonged periods of rain, especially over southeast facing slopes.

The National Weather Service also notes that heavy showers and thunderstorms are often spotty and localized. One area could be flooding, but someplace nearby remains mostly dry.

*** Supporting information courtesy National Weather Service and Maui County Civil Defense.