UPDATE: Portion of Highway 11 reopen after being closed for flooding; windward Big Island super soaked

This story was updated at 11:26 p.m. Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

Are we sure the wet season ended at the end of April?

Looking at some of the rainfall totals from Monday night through Tuesday, June 1-2, the first 2 days of the 2026 hurricane season, you could have fooled us.

Some of that rainfall even caused flooding the closed roads Tuesday. Fortunately, the rainfall seen that night on the radar looked nominal, which means everybody who was super soaked at the beginning of this week hopefully gets a chance to really dry out now.

Hawaiʻi Police Department reported shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday that a portion of Highway 11, between mile markers 57 and 62, near Kāwā and Honuʻapo in Kaʻū was reopen.

The roadway was closed about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday because of flooding caused by heavy rainfall. Unfortunately, no alternate routes were available.

Big Island authorities thanked the public for its patience during the extended closure.

Portions of Ka‘ū were among locations in southern, southeastern, eastern, northern and northeastern parts of the island that experienced persistent heavy rainfall and flooding Monday night, June 1, through much of Tuesday.

Other areas included portions of Puna, North and South Hilo, Hāmākua and North and South Kohala.

National Weather Service forecasters in Honolulu initially issue a flood advisory just before 9:30 p.m. Monday for those parts of the island, which was subsequently continued throughout much of Tuesday, until just 5 hours shy of it being in effect a full 24 hours.

The advisory was finally allowed to expire at 4:30 p.m.

Coreen Nelson reported shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday to Big Island Now: “3.5 inches of rain today on old Red Cinder Road, or Lorenzo Road … in Kaʻū. Take care.”

Several other locations covered by the advisory recorded amounts between 3.13 inches and 4.29 inches.

Only 12 of the 40 automated rain gauges in flood advisory locations collected less than 2 inches of rain during that 24-hour period. The lowest amount was at South Point, which collected no rain at all.

All amounts are provisional and were not quality controlled by the time this story was published. They also were reported by automated rain gauges from around the Big Island.

Hawai‘i Police Department reported Tuesday that Highway 11 and Kaʻililike, or Cane Haul Road, were also closed in Ka‘ū, between Pāhala and Nā‘ālehu, from mile markers 59 and 61 because of flooding from the heavy rainfall.

Radar continued to indicate heavy rain — falling at a continued, persistent half an inch to 1.5 inches an hour — over windward and southeast portions of the Big Island, with the heaviest over Ka’u, lower Puna and South Hilo.

Additional heavy showers were expected to move through later in the afternoon, with additional flooding on roads as well as in poor drainage areas and streams.

Some locations expected to have experienced some flooding Tuesday included Hilo, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Kapaʻau, Honoka‘a, Volcano, Glenwood, Mountain View, Hawaiian Acres, Kea‘au, Pāpaʻikou, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, Pepe‘ekeo, Honomū, Orchidland Estates, Hakalau, Nīnole, Laupāhoehoe, Wood Valley and Pāhoa.