Remnants of strong winds that caused power outages, downed trees and unleashed swaths of rooftops Tuesday night will continue to blow across the islands today, according to the National Weather Service.
A statewide wind advisory was dropped Wednesday afternoon, except for parts of Lanai, Kahoolawe and Hawaii island. But a breezy tradewind pattern will remain in place across the islands due to high pressure north of the state, the weather service said.
Tradewinds will gradually ease as the high pressure weakens. The wind advisory was set to expire at 6 p.m. today. A gale warning and small-craft advisories were also posted for Hawaii waters.
The statewide wind advisory Tuesday and Wednesday was prompted by northeast winds of 20 to 30 mph, with gusts to 50 mph, that disrupted electrical power in some areas and kept firefighters busy.
About 1,700 customers from Aina Haina to Wailupe lost power Tuesday night because of a wind-related incident, said Hawaiian Electric Co. spokesman Darren Pai. Most service was restored overnight, but repairs for about 100 customers had to wait until daylight, Pai said in an email.
Honolulu firefighters responded to calls about damaged roofs, arcing electrical wires and downed trees, the Honolulu Fire Department reported.
Spokesman Capt. David Jenkins said there were at least 10 incidents overnight Tuesday and a half-dozen wind-related incidents Wednesday, with firefighters responding to calls in Manoa, Aina Haina, Kalihi and Kaneohe.
At 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, a tree fell on a home, pinning a man in his bed on Country Club Road in Nuuanu. Paramedics were summoned, but the victim refused treatment.
Besides damaging the garage and parts of the home in Nuuanu, the falling tree also damaged cars in the neighborhood, Jenkins said.
At 12:10 p.m. Tuesday, high winds blew the roof off a garage on Manoa Road and damaged a section of the attached living room. Another roof was blown off a home on Kuliouou Road in Aina Haina at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.
At 2 a.m. Wednesday, a tree temporarily blocked a portion of Likelike Highway in Kalihi.
Jenkins said other calls Wednesday were mostly in Manoa for minor damage ranging from loose shingles to a damaged solar water heater.
The weather service extended a high-surf advisory, prompted by a wind swell on east shores of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui and Hawaii island, until 6 p.m. today. Forecasters said rough seas created by the strong tradewinds would gradually subside. Surf heights topped out at 6 to 10 feet Wednesday and are expected to decline to 5 to 8 feet today.
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CORRECTION: A tree fell on a house and cars on Country Club Road in Nuuanu. An earlier version of this story said it happened on Century Club Road.
