In the end, Hurricane Ana brought little but rain. ADVERTISING In the end, Hurricane Ana brought little but rain. Hawaii Island dodged winds and major damage as Ana passed to the south Friday night and Saturday. A flash flood watch
In the end, Hurricane Ana brought little but rain.
Hawaii Island dodged winds and major damage as Ana passed to the south Friday night and Saturday. A flash flood watch remained posted through much of the day Saturday, with the island experiencing thunderstorms, high surf and up to a foot of rainfall.
Flooding closed Highway 11 in Ka‘u between mile markers 57 and 58, according to the Hawaii Police Department. The road opened to one lane of traffic early Saturday afternoon, but intermittent heavy rains kept police from giving an estimate on when both lanes might open. The floodwaters left several motorists stranded for a couple of hours early Saturday morning as Hilea Bridge overflowed and Kawa Flats was inundated, Pahala resident Julie Neal said.
Wood Valley Road was blocked by flooding at Kapapala Ranch, Neal said.
More than 7.5 inches of rain fell at the ranch, according to National Weather Service totals. In the 24 hour period ending at 2:45 p.m. Saturday, the gauge at Keaumo in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park received 11.3 inches, 4.7 inches fell at Hilo Airport, Kahuku got 4 inches, Honaunau received 1.2 inches, Kona International Airport got just under an inch and Waimea received less than an inch of rainfall.
“It’s still raining heavily in Wood Valley and those folks are stranded up there,” Neal said Saturday. “Going up Wood Valley, you could see water cutting courses down through the coffee and mac nut orchards.”
Ka‘u did not experience winds from Ana, Neal said.
“It was all a rain event,” she said.
Rain fell in bursts, with heavy accumulations from Kawa Flats through Glenwood, said Ray Tanabe, NWS forecaster.
Southeast slopes from Kahuku to Glenwood were under a flash flood warning Saturday, with gauges above Glenwood filling at a rate of 2 inches an hour at one point, and heavy showers streaming into Ka‘u and Puna. Residents were cautioned not to cross fast-flowing or rising water on foot or in vehicles.
Power was knocked out to about 1,200 customers in Keauhou at 4:30 a.m. Saturday, when a tree covered with saturated vines fell, knocking out a line. Power was restored by 7:09 a.m. said Rhea Lee, administrative manager for Hawaii Electric Light Co. Other small outages from fallen trees were scattered across the south portion of the island and most were quickly brought back online, Lee said.
Lightning and thunder was reported in the Hilo area as Ana passed about 150 miles south of the island. Rain was falling in Kailua-Kona Saturday morning, with minor ponding along Alii Drive and 8-foot surf rolled in along the shoreline.
The highest wind gusts reported were around 30 mph at South Point, Tanabe said.
Only a couple dozen people used the five emergency shelters opened Friday, said Barney Sheffield, Hawaii Island disaster manager for the American Red Cross.
“It rained all night (in Hilo), heavy at times,” Sheffield said. “We closed the Waiakea shelter at 9 p.m. Friday because no one was there. We closed the other four shelters at 7 a.m. and just about everyone was already gone.”
“We dodged another bullet,” he said.
Ana remained a hurricane with 80 mph winds as it slid northwest about 140 miles southwest of Oahu on Saturday. Forecasters lifted a tropical storm watch for Maui County. County and state parks were set to reopen today, according to Hawaii County Civil Defense.
