High surf advisory covers all southern shores
Kauai is under a flash flood warning until 7 p.m. Tuesday.
A weather system northwest of the islands is cutting off the cooling tradewind flow, while another system north of the islands is creating unstable atmospheric conditions and an increased chance of heavy rain on Tuesday.
Surfers may find some relief from the hot and humid weather with swells in both town and country from a building southwest swell generated by a large storm off New Zealand.
A high surf advisory for the south shores of all islands is in effect until 6 a.m. Thursday, National Weather Service forecasters said Tuesday afternoon.
Surf is expected to increase to 6 to 8 feet Tuesday night and continuing through Wednesday.
The Wednesday forecast for Honolulu and southern shores of Oahu calls for mostly sunny skies becoming cloudy in the morning, with a 50 percent chance of rain.
Tuesday saw thunderstorms and heavy rain for much of Kauai, Oahu and Lanai.
The chances of heavy rain will diminish on Wednesday as more stable atmospheric conditions return, but forecasters expect the light winds, muggy conditions and unusually high temperatures to continue for the foreseeable future, forecasters said.
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Because of the light winds, the storms that form Tuesday will not move much and will drop rain until there’s no moisture left in the clouds.
“A handful of flood advisories have been issued for these gully washers that have lasted long enough to create nuisance flooding,” forecasters said Tuesday morning. “A flash flood warning is not out of the question, but that would be a worst case scenario.’
Flooding also closed Route 1 in Kau between the 58 and 59 mile markers overnight on the Big Island.
“We’re kind of stuck in this light wind pattern with above normal humidity levels,” weather service meteorologist Chris Brenchley said Tuesday morning.
“It doesn’t look like there will be much change in the next week. … No surge of tradewinds is really anticipated, at least for the next seven days.”
Vog carried by light southerly winds and urban smog blown back over Honolulu by ocean breezes may bring some haze, but it’s not likely to be heavy, Brenchley said.
Above normal high temperatures are also expected to continue.
Hilo tied a high temperature record of 89 degrees on Monday. The record for the date was set in 1974.
It’s the 11th day of record temperatures state wide and the 9th day of record temperatures in Hilo since Sept. 17.
