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Heavy showers left thousands of Oahu residents in the dark and prompted the closure of Kalanianaole Highway on Friday evening.
The National Weather Service reported a foot of standing water along the highway as of 8:42 p.m. with rain continuing to fall at a rate of 2 to 4 inches per hour.
In response, police closed Kalanianaole Highway from Aina Haina to Makapuu due to flooding, leaving cars stranded in the rising water. Police also closed Maunaloa Avenue between 8th and 9th avenues in Kaimuki due to downed power lines.
A mudslide was also reported in the area of
Kalanianaole Highway and Keolu Drive.
Meanwhile, multiple outages left more than 3,000 Hawaiian Electric Co. customers without electricity in Heeia, Kaneohe, Kailua, Waimanalo, Diamond Head, Kaimuki, Kapahulu, Waikiki, Manoa and other areas on the eastern side of the island. A damaged pole in Kailua caused by an earlier motor vehicle crash left an estimated 1,500 customers without power in Kailua.
Weather officials said gauges at Makawao stream, Manoa stream, and Pukele stream showed rapid rises in water levels and might flood properties near those streams. Radar indicated heavy rain near Waimanalo and Maunawili, falling at a rate of
2 to 3 inches inches per hour.
