US: Tropical storm Lane dumps rain on Hawaii as flood hazard lingers

Hawaii was spared a direct hit by a major hurricane as Lane, once a monster tempest, rapidly weakened into a tropical storm, even as it unleashed severe flooding on the Big Island and threatened to drench Oahu and Maui. Lane, with maximum sustained winds diminishing to near 110 kph, was forecast to slowly make its nearest approach to land just west of the US Pacific island chain over the weekend, bringing tropical storm conditions to Maui and the state’s most populous island, Oahu, late on Friday. More than two feet (60 cm) of rain had fallen in a 36-hour period by Friday night on the windward side of the island of Hawaii, popularly known as the Big Island, where the Weather Service reported “catastrophic flooding.” More than 40 inches of rain was recorded in Piihonua and Waiakea on the island late on Friday, the weather service said. Flash flooding and mudslides on the Big Island forced road closures and evacuations as police and emergency crews conducted numerous rescues of people stranded in vehicles and homes by high water on Friday. Hawaii’s major airports remained open during the storm, though 22 flights were cancelled at Honolulu’s main airport, according to online tracking service FlightAware.com. Several airlines also cancelled services to Kahului Airport on Maui in anticipation of severe weather, the state transportation department said. The governor said travellers should expect congestion at the airports on Saturday and Sunday from the backlog of cancelled flights.<br/>