Storm looming in Kaneohe. Photo by - Melanie Gonzalez
By Nikki Garrett Metzger
Managing Editor
(Hawaii)- The threat of heavy rainfall for Kauai and Oahu may continue today and Tuesday as unsettled weather affects the area, especially across the western half of the state. A flash flood watch will continue through this afternoon for Kauai and Oahu. However unsettled weather could linger into Tuesday.
“A front just over Kauai is expected to linger, plus a low in the upper atmosphere is causing destabilization. That is why we may need to extend the flash flood watch for Kauai and Oahu as this will produce widespread showers and heavy rain threat into late Monday and possibly early Tuesday,” said Tom Birchard, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu.
In addition, strong westerly winds will likely develop over the summits of the Big Island tonight into Tuesday and this will likely require at least a wind advisory at some point.
For Wednesday the front is expected to slide down to Maui County, and we should see a drying trend on Kauai and Oahu midweek. The showers will decrease in coverage and intensity as the airmass stabilizes. Accompanying trade winds will bring a slightly cooler and drier air mass over all islands by the end of the week, Birchard said.
A new high builds far to the north northwest of the state by the end of the week resulting in strong and gusty trades with showers crossing windward and mauka areas into adjacent leeward sections of the smaller islands as well.