Slow-moving storm to douse Hawaii with flooding rain into early May

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

April 30,2017, 2:59:03PM,EDT

 

 While a storm will douse outdoor plans and lead to flooding on some of the Hawaiian Islands, enough rain may fall to ease drought conditions into the start of May.

People heading out and about in Hawaii will need waterproof shoes and rain ponchos to handle the widespread wet weather. The rain could spoil some days at the beach.
A storm from the north will continue to impact Hawaii into Monday.
The storm will be more typical of that of the middle of winter, rather than April, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Maggie Samuhel.

"The storm will produce much more substantial and frequent rainfall when compared to the typical trade wind showers," Samuhel said.
Because of the slow-moving nature of the storm, it could deliver more rainfall to some areas, when compared to a weak, fast-moving tropical storm.
"There is the potential for the Big Island and Maui to receive several inches of rain, especially if the storm lingers into Monday," Samuhel said.
On these islands, areas of flooding and road washouts may occur, including on the sides of the islands that typically experience a rain-shadow effect.
On Saturday, a sinkhole re-opened on the Kaupo side of the Alalele Bridge on Maui.
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Downpours will also persist across the islands of Lanai, Molokai and Oahu, where some incidents of flash and urban flooding can occur, as well as isolated mudslides.
Farther northwest, on Kauai, rainfall will overall be less intense and not as frequent as that of the middle and southeastern islands in the String of Pearls.
The islands have been experiencing abnormally dry-to-drought conditions since last year, according to the United States Drought Monitor. This is despite being in the proximity of multiple tropical systems in recent years.
The widespread rainfall will also help to alleviate the brush fire risk, at least in the short term.
"The rainfall from the slow-moving non-tropical storm will ease drought conditions in some areas and could completely eradicate it in others," Samuhel said.
The storm will also pull cool air down from aloft.
High temperatures may be held to the 70s F for a few days in Honolulu.
The air can get cold enough to allow snow to fall with accumulations on the summits on the Big Island into Monday. Strong winds will blow and drift the snow around, creating blizzard conditions.
In terms of wind and seas, conditions may not be as rough as that of a tropical storm affecting the area.
However, bathers and boaters should use caution as there may be shifting winds and sudden building surf and seas as the storm unleashes the downpours.