A pedestrian tries to cross flooded Queen Street, Monday, December 6, 2021, in Honolulu.
Marco Garcia / AP
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Marco Garcia / AP
A pedestrian tries to cross flooded Queen Street, Monday, December 6, 2021, in Honolulu.
Marco Garcia / AP
Punitive rains on the Hawaiian islands have created gusts and flash floods across the state, with weather warnings still in effect as of Tuesday morning.
Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said The weather has caused a power outage and cut off access to some roads, although there were no storm-related deaths as of 2 p.m. local time on Monday. However, officials warned the storm, which began over the weekend, remained a threat.
The system hit the Big Island, Maui and Molokai on Sunday and moved west through the densely populated island of Oahu on Monday and Tuesday morning. The storm is a “low kona”, a type of tornado occurs during the cool season of the Pacific Ocean and brings torrential rains, flooding, inundation, and other hazardous conditions.
Public parks in Honolulu, as well as the Honolulu Zoo, closed due to weather, and four emergency shelters in the city has been opened for residents affected by the storm.
Late Monday, Governor David Ige sign an emergency declaration for the entire state, freeing up funding for emergency response.
Some areas get up to 14 inches of rain, according to preliminary total rainfall from the National Weather Service.
Hawaii Climate Office said that as the state gets drier it rains less often, but when it does rain the storms get stronger. That can lead to landslides, runoff, algae blooms, and catastrophic flooding, presenting economic and public health risks.
A version of this story originally appeared inside Morning version live blogs.
