Heavy rains Thursday night and Friday morning that contributed to record rainfall at Kahului Airport were not enough to lift the April 9 drought declaration Upcountry.

The 1.5 inches of rain at Kahului Airport on Thursday broke the old record of 0.65 inch set for that day in 2009, the National Weather Service said. The highest rainfall recorded on Maui in the 24-hour period ending at 4 p.m. Friday was in East Wailuaiki in East Maui, 3.83 inches. Puu Kukui in the West Maui Mountains logged 2.47 inches; Mahinahina in West Maui, 2.17 inches; and Wailuku, 2.12 inches.

It also rained Upcountry, which is under a stage-one water shortage declaration due to low rainfall in the watershed. Residents in Haiku, Makawao, Pukalani, Olinda, Kula and Ulupalakua are under a call for voluntary conservation.

The rainfall Upcountry, which included 1.56 inches in Haiku, 1.48 inches in Pukalani and about a quarter of an inch at the Kula Branch Station, filled up the reservoirs. The two 50-million-gallon Kahakapao Reservoirs were 97 percent full and the 50-million-gallon Piiholo Reservoir was 96 percent full, after being nearly empty earlier this month.

Dave Taylor, director of the county Department of Water Supply, said Friday afternoon that the rainfall was great but one event is not enough to lift the drought declaration, which is “more of a long-term thing” or a seasonal outlook.

The midlevel Piiholo Reservoir, though nearly full, offers only a 10-day supply of water. “What is more important is whether the flow of water continues,” Taylor said. Saturating the watershed with a week of rain is more of a factor to removing the designation than one large event.

Department officials are monitoring the flow of the Wailoa Ditch, which brings in water from the East Maui watershed; rainfall; and weather forecasts. The ditch was running at 15.5 million gallons, 7.8 percent of capacity.

“Right now, we are watching the weather,” Taylor said.

What the rainfall did do was to avert stage-two or stage-three drought declarations, which would have led to increased water rates, Taylor said. Department officials were looking at the prospect of bumping up to those levels within a week before the rain came.

He called for continued voluntary water conservation to avoid the higher drought stages, adding that this could be a summer-long situation — it all depends on the rain.

While the rain brought some relief Upcountry, it led to brown-water warnings off Honolua and Honokahua bays on the west side. The public was advised to stay out of floodwaters and storm runoff due to possible bacteria and other contaminants from overflowing cesspools and sewer manholes, pesticides, animal fecal matter, animal carcasses and other debris.

The Health Department said that not all water may be affected but if it is brown stay out and practice good personal hygiene.

The weather also caused a power outage in Haiku early Friday. A bamboo tree fell on overhead lines along Kalanikahua Road in Haiku, knocking out power to 573 customers in the area at about 1:30 a.m., Shayna Decker, Maui Electric Co. spokeswoman, said Friday.

Service was restored to most customers by 2:10 a.m. The last 73 customers got their power back at about 7:15 a.m., she said.

A high-surf advisory was in effect for north shores of Maui and Molokai and west shores of Molokai through 6 a.m. today, the National Weather Service said. A large north-northwest swell generated the advisory level surf.

The weather service said that a high pressure strengthening north of the islands will bring moderate trades through the weekend and next week. The trades will push lingering moisture from a weakening front over windward slopes of the islands. Drier conditions are expected for the first half of next week.

High temperatures are expected to be 82 to 87 degrees with overnight lows of 69 to 74. Winds from the east are expected to blow 15 to 20 mph.

* Lee Imada can be reached at leeimada@mauinews.com.