UPDATE – 6 PM – Highway 11 in the Kaʻū district is closed between the 57 & 62 mile markers due to flooding.

(BIVN) – Heavy rain continued to fall over windward and interior areas of Hawaiʻi island Monday evening, as the Flash Flood Warning has been extended until 7:30 p.m. 

Multiple roads have been closed in East Hawaiʻi, and evacuation shelters have opened at the Keaʻau Armory in Puna and the Robert N. Herkes Gym in Pahala.

Hawaiʻi Police reported the Puna district “is experiencing heavy rain, causing water run-off and ponding on the roadways, primarily on Highway 130 in Keaau and Route 11 in Mountain View and Glenwood.” Motorists were urged to drive with extreme caution and “asked to avoid unnecessary traveling on the roadways until weather conditions improve.”  

A trough of low pressure is bringing a plume of deep tropical over the Big Island.

“At 4:33 PM HST, radar indicated heavy rain over primarily windward, southeast and interior portions of the Big Island,” the National Weather Service reported early Monday evening. “Rain was falling at a rate of up to 3 inches per hour, and up to 7 inches of rain has fallen since this morning in some areas. This is leading to significant rises in water levels in streams and rivers. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly.”

The Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense reported road closures at Pauahi Street, Pohaku Street, Kahikopele Street, and N. Kulani Road. Also, Kamehameha Avenue in Hilo was closed between Ponahawai Street and Bishop Street due to flooding.

Forecasters say some locations that will experience flash flooding include Hilo, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Honokaʻa, Volcano, Glenwood, Pohakuloa Training Area, Pohakuloa Camp, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Wood Valley, Mountain View, Pāhala, Hawaiian Acres, Keaʻau, Punaluʻu Beach, Orchidlands Estates, Papaikou, Kawa Flats, Pepeʻekeo and Honomū.

While most of the Big Island is now under a Flash Flood Warning, areas of Kona and Kohala remain under a Flood Watch through Tuesday afternoon.