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Rainfall drenches county, causes closures of park, pool

Weather also stalls patching of potholes

Rains soaked Maui County on Tuesday, closing a pool and a beach park, as most areas saw more than an inch of rain in a 24-hour period.

Areas in Maui County that saw the highest rainfall totals were in East Maui, with the Hana Airport reporting 4.13 inches of rain in a 24-hour period ending at 3 p.m. It was followed by West Wailuaiki with 4.21 inches.

A Kula rain gauge reported 3.32 inches for the same period. Kahului Airport reported 1.87 inches for the same time.

Baldwin Beach Park was closed Tuesday as flooding and muddy conditions impacted the park’s access road, parking lot and pavilion. County Department of Public Works staff began removing mud and debris Monday and continued efforts Tuesday but postponed work due to lightning and heavy rains.

At the Lahaina Aquatic Center, lifeguards were unable to safely see the bottom of the pool, prompting the closure according to aquatic protocol.

Assessments of both Baldwin Beach Park and Lahaina Aquatic Center will be made prior to reopening.

Responsible for Tuesday’s wet weather was a band of deep moisture moving over the eastern half of the state and stalling Tuesday, triggering heavy rainfall and thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service. The band was expected to move eastward Tuesday night and into today.

The National Weather Service had posted a flash-flood watch for Maui County in effect until 6 p.m. Tuesday.

And, a high-surf advisory for east-facing shores on Molokai and Maui was extended until 6 a.m. Thursday. An advisory means that high surf will affect beaches in the advisory area, producing rip currents and localized beach erosion.

The swell is expected to peak today and gradually decline Thursday through the rest of the week. Surf was expected to build to 6 to 10 feet late Tuesday along east-facing shores of Molokai and Maui.

For today, the Weather Service said Central Maui should see isolated showers and mostly sunny skies with a high near 81 degrees. There will be a light north wind becoming a north-northeast wind of 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

While the county has been seeing a bout of winter weather this month, the total rainfall so far for February is not on pace to break any records, according to Kevin Kodama, a senior service hydrologist with the National Weather Service.

The state is in a weak El Nino cycle, which tends to generate drier-than-average winters and wetter-than-average summers.

But Kodama said a weak El Nino usally allows some heavy rain events to affect the state.

“So it’s not entirely surprising that we’re getting a wet spell,” Kodama said in an email. “Back in the 2004-05 El Nino, which was also weak, we ended up with the 7th wettest wet season in the past 30 years.”

All the wet weather is creating potholes in Maui’s roadways, and the county Public Works Department is making it a priority for crews to fix them this week, especially in the Makawao and Wailuku districts, the county said late Tuesday afternoon.

But the wet weather has made it difficult for workers to pave or use hot patch material.

“We are hoping the rest of the week, the weather will work toward our favor,” said Deputy Public Works Director Rowena Dagdag-Andaya.

Pothole patching crews have been filling large potholes in the Upcountry area since Saturday, she said.

The Makawao District covers Haiku to Ulupalakua, and the Wailuku District covers Kahului to Kihei.

Also adding to problems is that the asphalt plant that produces the department’s material to patch potholes has been down since last week. District staff members have been sharing the last of their material reserves and have begun using alternatives until the asphalt plant resumes production, according to a county news release.

The release noted that in Makawao, more than 17 inches of rain has fallen this month, and another nine inches fell in January.

“Potholes remain a concern countywide and our Highways Division staff continues to coordinate with district supervisors over the limited supply of patch material,” acting Public Works Director David Goode said. “We have reached out to the state Department of Transportation for assistance and they have graciously agreed to give us some cold patch material from their stockpile. It won’t be enough to patch all the potholes on the island, but it will help.”

To report potholes, road drainage and other flooding issues, call:

Hana District: 876-4590

Lahaina District: 270-4370

Lanai District: 565-7086

Makawao District: 876-4535

Molokai District: 553-3222

Wailuku District: 270-7443

Potholes also can be reported through the “COM Connect” app. The app allows users to submit photos of potholes or other public works issues via mobile devices. For more information on how to file a report, visit mauicounty.gov/2024/COM-Connect.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.

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