Portion of Highway 11 closes during flash flood warning in Kaʻū
Two shelters are open in Kaʻū, and Highway 11 remains closed between Punaluʻu and Nāʻālehu due to flooding on the roadway.
The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for Hawaiʻi Island, indicating that flooding is imminent or occurring.
Doppler radar indicated rain forming and moving over the Kaʻū and Puna districts, with rainfall rates up to 1 inch per hour over already saturated grounds. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly.
The Hawaiʻi Police Department reported that Highway 11 is closed between the 62-mile marker by the Kaʻū Police Station and the 56-mile marker by Nīnōle Loop due to flooding. No alternate routes are available.
Nāʻālehu Elementary School Gymnasium is open this evening as a shelter, and the Robert Herkes Gymnasium in Pāhala is also open to motorists waiting out the road closure.
There are no other road closures reported at this time.
Some locations that will experience flash flooding include Hawaiian Paradise Park, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Wood Valley, Volcano, Pahala, Glenwood, Punaluu Beach, Kawa Flats, Mountain View, Hawaiian Acres and Naalehu.
