Heavy Rain

Thursday night through Friday afternoon saw a major thunderstorm for the first time since I've been in Hawaii.  It made for a very wet furlough Friday.  Thunderstorms are pretty typical in the midwest so I wasn't all that surprised when I saw lightning and heard thunder.  However, in Hawaii those things are apparently rare.  The winter is Hawaii's rainy season, and it has rained a few times in the last month or two, but nothing unusual in my opinion.  The last two days, though, have been pretty crazy.  There has been a constant, heavy rain.  So much so, in fact, that the Department of Heath actually issued an advisory to Kaua'i, O'ahu, Maui and Moloka'i to stay out of any water that is brown.

The Department warning says, "The public is advised to stay out of flood waters and storm water runoff due to possible overflowing cesspools, pesticides, animal fecal matter, dead animals, chemicals, and associated flood debris. The health department warning says boaters, swimmers and surfers should stay out of coastal waters if they are turbid and brown."

I previously wrote about Leptosperosis and its prevalence in Hawaii.  I was fortunate that I did not contract it when I went cliff jumping at Maunawili Falls, but I think this advisory is enough to convince me that I won't be going back in the near future.