Forecasters with the National Weather Service have a device which counts the number of times lightning strikes. In the business, each strike is called a “hit.” Between 3 a.m. and 8 a.m. yesterday, there were “a ton” of hits, over
Forecasters with the National Weather Service have a device which counts the number of times lightning strikes.
In the business, each strike is called a “hit.” Between 3 a.m. and 8 a.m. yesterday, there were “a ton” of hits, over 150, said Maureen Ballard, NWS forecaster in the Honolulu office. Between 5 p.m. and midnight Sunday, there were 174 strikes, including 49 between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.
The hundreds of strikes, and replies of explosive and rumbling thunder, sent children and pets scurrying for cover Sunday night into Monday morning, and caused power outages from parts of Princeville to Po‘ipu, including Wailua Homesteads and Puhi.
Rain continued nearly all Monday morning, with some heavy afternoon showers, which caused continued, sporadic outages, and work for Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative crews, said Anne Barnes, KIUC spokesperson.
The outages Sunday night and Monday morning were all the result of the lightning, and continued wet conditions and accompanying dampness caused the Monday problems, she said.
Several people reported their dogs, spooked by the lightning and thunder, were missing yesterday morning.
More wet weather is forecast today, and a flash-flood watch was issued for the island effective through this afternoon. There was a flash-flood warning for Kaua‘i for a period Sunday night, and a flash-flood watch for Kaua‘i, Ni‘ihau and O‘ahu yesterday, Ballard said.
Nearly two and a half inches of rain fell on Lihu‘e in the 24-hour period ending at 2 p.m. yesterday, with 2.37 inches in Wailua and 1.83 inches in ‘Oma‘o. At Lihu‘e Airport, steady rain fell at the rate of a third of an inch an hour for a three-hour period Sunday night into Monday morning.
Unstable weather due to light winds and very cold weather in the upper atmosphere caused the lightning and thunder which was expected to move more toward Maui and O‘ahu overnight Monday. But unstable weather remains hovering over Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau. “The upper low is going to be with us another day,” and that means heavy rainfall is likely today, especially across windward sections of the island, Ballard said.
The system was west of Ni‘ihau yesterday afternoon, and other systems south and southwest of Kaua‘i were moving northward, meaning the unsettled weather will be with the island for awhile, she said. The system that brought the late-night fireworks was expected to weaken, with warmer air entering the upper atmosphere. It was the “very cold” air in the upper atmosphere that caused the thunder and lightning Sunday night, she said.
Today was forecast to begin with some sunshine, possibly, giving way to building cloud cover and scattered showers, including potentially heavy rains windward which may make for flooding conditions, she said. There is a chance that an urban and small-stream flood advisory as was issued yesterday afternoon might again be called here, Ballard said.
Paul C. Curtis, associate editor, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net.
