1989
1989
The county announced more than a month ago it would switch the one-way traffic pattern in downtown Hilo on Aug. 20 — if it didn’t rain that particular Sunday. So, naturally, yesterday turned out to be the rainiest day of the month and one of the rainiest of the year. Almost 4 inches of rain fell at Hilo airport, more precipitation than for all the rest of August combined. National Weather Service forecasters blamed the deluge on what was left of a former tropical storm. The remnants of the storm system hit the isle Saturday.
“What luck,” said a dismayed Richard Nishimura, the county engineer overseeing the traffic switch for the Department of Public Works. As previously announced, Nishimura said Public Works will now try to proceed with the changing of traffic lights and road markings necessary for the pattern switch this coming Sunday. If it rains again, Nishimura might try to schedule the change for a day or night during the following week.
This Day in History is compiled by Brandon Haleamau for the Tribune-Herald using newspaper archives. Whenever possible, the news accounts provided in this column were taken verbatim from the newspaper.