Alert archive / Hawaii / Flash Flood Warnings in 2002

Flash Flood Warning 30, NWS Honolulu, HI

October 17, 2002Kauai County, Hawaii

NWS Honolulu, HI issued this flash flood warning at Oct 17, 2002, 12:30 PM HST for Kauai County, Hawaii. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Oct 17, 2002, 12:30 PM HST (22:30 UTC)
Expired
Oct 17, 2002, 3:30 PM HST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Honolulu, HI
Area
Whole counties

County Kauai County, HI

The nearest sounding before it

Lihue, (PHLI), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 37 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lihue, at 12:00Z on 2002-10-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 305 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Lihue, at 12:00Z on 2002-10-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 44 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
305 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
522 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
44 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
128 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
WGHW50 PHFO 172229
FFWHI 
HIZ001-180130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1230 PM HST THU OCT 17 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HONOLULU HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN HALF OF THE ISLAND OF KAUAI
  INCLUDING THE COMMUNITIES OF LIHUE...WAILUA...ANAHOLA...KILAUEA 
  AND KOLOA
	 
* UNTIL 330 PM HST
	
* AT 1215 PM HST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR
  INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS SPREADING OVER MANY AREAS OF THE 
  EASTERN HALF OF KAUAI. 

* THUNDERSTORMS WITH EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL BE 
  NEAR...LIHUE...WAILUA...ANAHOLA...KILAUEA AND KOLOA.

RADAR DATA SHOWS THUNDERSTORMS WHICH INITIALLY AFFECTED ONLY THE 
NORTHEAST PORTION OF KAUAI HAS SPREAD OVER MUCH OF THE EASTERN HALF 
OF THAT ISLAND...PROMPTING AN EXPANSION OF THE WARNING AREA. 
RAINFALL RATES IN EXCESS OF 4 INCHES PER HOUR WERE SEEN OVER EAST 
KAUAI WITHIN THE PAST HOUR. 

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IMMINENT. 
PERSON ON KAUAI SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION TO PROTECT LIFE AND 
PROPERTY AND SEEK HIGHER GROUND OR REMAIN INDOORS.

MOTORISTS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR FLOODING AND SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO 
CROSS FAST FLOWING OR RISING WATER...MANY FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR 
WHEN MOTORISTS TRY TO CROSS FLOODED ROADWAYS. ESCAPE RISING WATER BY 
CLIMBING DIRECTLY TO HIGHER GROUND. NEVER TRY TO OUTRUN A FLOOD 
EITHER ON FOOT OR IN YOUR VEHICLE. DO NOT CAMP NEAR STREAMS OR OTHER 
AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. LIGHTNING IS A LEADING 
KILLER AND PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE TAKEN TO AVOID BEING STRUCK BY 
LIGHTNING. STAY OUT FROM UNDER TALL TREES AND AWAY FROM THE OCEAN 
AND BEACHES IF LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING. DO NOT TOUCH OR REMAIN CLOSE 
TO METAL POLES OR FENCES.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL TV OR RADIO FOR FURTHER 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INFORMATION.
 
$$
POWELL
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGHW70 PHFO 180131
FFSHI
HIZ001-180230-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
330 PM HST THU OCT 17 2002

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR THE EASTERN HALF 
OF KAUAI HAS EXPIRED...

...A FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR ALL OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS...

HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER KAUAI HAVE CEASED...AND THE 
THREAT OF FLOODING THERE IS NO LONGER IMMINENT. HOWEVER...THE 
POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING CONTINUES FOR ALL OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN 
ISLANDS AS A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY CONTINUES TO KEEP UNSETTLED 
WEATHER OVER THE STATE. 

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL TV OR RADIO FOR FURTHER 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INFORMATION.
 
$$
POWELL

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Honolulu, HI wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Oct 17, 10:36 AM HST, 1 hour 54 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 17, 10:36 AM HST, 1 hour 54 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
10 AM HST THU OCT 17 2002

SUMMARY...EXPECT WET AND UNSTABLE WEATHER TO CONTINUE THROUGH
FRIDAY...THANKS TO A STALLED FRONTAL BAND ACROSS THE MAIN ISLANDS
AND WEAK LOW PRESSURE APPROACHING FROM THE SOUTHWEST. HEAVY SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON ALL OF THE MAIN ISLANDS.
HOWEVER...THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINFALL WILL DIMINISH BY
SATURDAY...AND TRADE WIND WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO RETURN SUNDAY.

DISCUSSION...A 350 MILE WIDE BAND OF UNSTABLE LAYERED CLOUDS LIES
ACROSS THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS THIS MORNING...MARKING A STALLED
FRONT. THE PARENT LOW IS ABOUT 1500 MILES NORTH OF HAWAII...AND THE
EASTERNMOST PORTION OF THE FRONTAL SYSTEM IS POISED TO CROSS OVER
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND OREGON ON THE MAINLAND. THE FRONT HAS
PENETRATED FAR ENOUGH SOUTH INTO THE TROPICS TO TAP INTO DEEP
TROPICAL MOISTURE SOUTH OF 15N...AND FRONTAL DYNAMICS ARE
TRANSPORTING THIS MOISTURE NORTHEASTWARD TOWARDS THE ISLANDS. THIS
IS THE THIRD FULL DAY THE STATE HAS BEEN UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF
THIS SYSTEM. HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE CONCENTRATED OVER
MAUI COUNTY THIS MORNING...BUT SATELLITE LOOP AND RADAR SHOWS THE
THREAT FOR ADVERSE WEATHER MAY SPREAD TO OAHU AND KAUAI WITHIN THE
NEXT FEW HOURS. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO POP UP OVER THE BIG
ISLAND LATER TODAY AS DAYTIME HEATING INTENSIFIES. A WEAK LOW HAS
FORMED ALONG THE FRONT 600 MILES OR SO SOUTHWEST OF THE MAIN
ISLANDS. AS THIS LOW MOVES NORTHEAST ALONG THE FRONTAL BAND TODAY
AND TOMORROW...IT WILL BECOME ANOTHER PRODUCER OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS...POSSIBLY EXTENDING OUR STRETCH OF BAD WEATHER INTO
EARLY SATURDAY.

MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW DRIER WEATHER MOVING IN BEGINNING SUNDAY AS
WIND FLOW ALOFT ASSUMES A MORE ZONAL...WEST TO EAST...PATTERN TO OUR
NORTH. THIS TYPE OF PATTERN WOULD CUT OFF UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT FOR
WIDESPREAD ADVERSE WEATHER...AND ENCOURAGE THE REBUILDING OF THE
SUBTROPICAL RIDGE TO OUR NORTH. THIS...IN TURN...WOULD HERALD THE
RETURN OF TRADE WINDS AND ASSOCIATED TRADE WIND WEATHER.

POWELL

.HFO...WARNINGS.....NONE
.      WATCHES......FLOOD ENTIRE STATE
.      ADVISORIES...URBAN AND SMALL STREAM LANAI AND WEST MAUI
.                   HIGH SURF NW-FACING SHORES OF ALL ISLANDS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Honolulu, HI issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 17, 10:45 AM HSTFlash Flood WarningHFOKauai3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Hawaii, 2002Every flash flood warning in 2002

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.