The Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Water Polo Team has secured the number 1 seed in the Big West Championship Tournament.

“I think everyone understands the importance of the tournament and, what we want to do,” said Hawaii Junior Daisy Logtens.

Hawaii enters the tournament 13-5 overall and 6-0 in conference play.

UH will open up the conference tournament against 8th seed UC Santa Barbara. UH recently defeated UCSB 18-4 on March 28th in Manoa.

The 1st match for UH is set for Friday at 7:00am HT in Long Beach, California.

The winner of (1) Hawaii vs (8) UCSB will take on the winner of (4) vs (5) UC San Diego.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Anxiety ran high in Manoa ahead of Wednesday’s impending storm, which comes about two weeks after a second Kona low flooded 14 residential units along Koali Road.

It was not the first time the homes were swamped in recent months.

Last November, a water main break overflowed the same ground-level units near UH Manoa, causing extensive damage.

Now, as tenants clean up and repair their homes after the latest storm, they are bracing for yet another storm expected to hit Wednesday.

“It sounds like a movie, it sounds a little surreal, a little not real,” Koali Road resident Carlos Jimenez said.

Jimenez, whose home was flooded both times, recalled the recent one, which covered his home in about two feet of water, describing the deluge as “a little bit above knee high.”

The damage to Jimenez’s unit went beyond the floor, too, because of the heavy rain.

“The ceiling got water-damaged. From what I saw, it was soaking water, sagging, and it was about to collapse,” Jimenez said.

Fortunately, crews repaired his roof days before the third storm could send another round of downpours.

Outside, both of Jimenez’s vehicles sat damaged and dead.

After all that he has seen at his Koali Road home, Jimenez said he would take the new storm seriously.

“Get ready, you know, with my mother. She lives with me. She’s 87,” Jimenez said.

After witnessing the devastation in the neighborhood, Jimenez’s neighbor, Dario Aricala, whose home was spared, is not taking it for granted during this week’s wet weather.

“The last storm, we almost got flooded. We are hoping for the best that this storm is not such bad,” Aricala said.

Click here to donate to Jimenez’s GoFundMe page.

In the meantime, other residents have been staying elsewhere during cleanup and repairs, and the property manager said he has been helping them.

Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

A statewide Flood Watch is in effect across Hawaii from Wednesday morning, April 8, through Friday afternoon, April 10, as a developing low-pressure system northwest of the islands, described by the National Weather Service (NWS) public guidance as a kona low, is forecast to bring prolonged heavy rainfall and elevated flood risk.

The NWS office in Honolulu reports that the system will draw deep tropical moisture northward across the state, creating conditions favorable for widespread showers and thunderstorms. Excessive rainfall may lead to flash flooding in urban areas, low-lying locations, and regions with poor drainage, while steep terrain remains susceptible to landslides.

All major islands, including Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, and the Big Island, are included in the Flood Watch. Forecasters note that antecedent wet conditions from recent rainfall events have left soils saturated, increasing runoff efficiency and the likelihood of rapid stream rises under heavier rainfall rates.

Multiple kona low systems affected the islands between March 10 and March 22, producing extreme rainfall totals, including more than 330 mm (13 inches) in about 12 hours on Oʻahu’s North Shore and multi-day accumulations reaching approximately 1 170 mm (46 inches) on Maui.

The events triggered widespread flooding, landslides, evacuations, and infrastructure stress, including emergency warnings tied to Wahiawā Dam and power outages affecting more than 130 000 customers statewide.

Despite several days of drier trade wind conditions, soil moisture remains elevated, allowing new rainfall to convert more efficiently into surface runoff, increasing the likelihood of rapid stream rises and flash flooding under the current forecast system.

The heaviest rainfall associated with the new system is forecast to develop during the midweek period, with conditions deteriorating from Wednesday into Thursday as the low-pressure system strengthens west of the state. Forecast guidance indicates that the western islands may experience the initial phase of heavier rainfall before activity gradually shifts eastward later in the event.

In addition to heavy rain, the system is expected to generate strong southerly winds, with gusts of 64–80 km/h (40–50 mph) possible across many areas and locally stronger gusts exceeding 93 km/h (58 mph) in exposed locations or near convective activity. A Wind Advisory may be issued as conditions develop.

Winter weather conditions are also possible at higher elevations on the Big Island, resulting in a Winter Storm Watch in effect for summits above 3 810 m (12 500 feet), where a combination of snow and freezing rain is forecast during the same period.

Heavy rainfall is likely to persist into Thursday and Friday, with the flash-flood threat remaining elevated into the weekend, but periods of heavy rain may continue beyond the initial peak as moisture remains in place around the system.

The setup reflects a kona low pattern, characterized by a low-pressure system northwest of the islands producing southerly flow and transporting deep tropical moisture into the region over multiple days.

References:

¹ Area Forecast Discussion for Hawaii – NWS Honolulu – April 7, 2026

² Flood Watch – NWS Honolulu – April 7, 2026