Flooding forced the closures of at least two roads Tuesday afternoon in Hilo, according to Hawaii County Civil Defense.
Ponding caused police to close East Kawailani Street between Kamalii Street and Hoonani Place, and Kukila Street off Railroad Avenue in the Kanoelehua Industrial Area. Kukila has poor drainage and often is flooded during heavy rains.
Police reported poor driving conditions in Hamakua, Hilo, Puna and Ka‘u because of heavy downpours.
The stormy weather also led to one East Hawaii school to be closed today. Classes at Kua O Ka La Public Charter School in Pahoa were cancelled because of on-campus flooding.
Thundershowers struck East Hawaii on Monday night and continued into Tuesday afternoon, although the thunder and lightning ceased in Hilo, at least temporarily, in the late afternoon.
Windward rain gauges took a pounding, as well. Totals for the 24-hour period ending at 3 p.m. Tuesday showed Waiakea Experimental Station with 5.96 inches, Hilo International Airport with 5.32 inches and Pahoa with 5.07 inches.
Derek Wroe, forecaster for the National Weather Service in Honolulu, expected “heavy showers with a chance of a thunderstorm” to continue through Tuesday night “and then taper off” by this morning.
Wroe said rainfall should be “lingering in the morning with a decrease in the afternoon.”
The seven-day forecast on the NWS website calls for showers through the weekend, but Wroe said it will be the less intense trade wind variety rainfall to which East Hawaii residents are accustomed.
Atop Maunakea, a fresh dusting of snow showed up on webcam photos late Tuesday afternoon and most observatories reported subfreezing temperatures.
Asked about the possibility of more snow, Wroe said, “I think freezing rain and ice are more likely.”
The road to the summit remained closed to the public at the 9,200-foot level Tuesday afternoon because of icy conditions, freezing temperatures, high humidity and heavy fog.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.