Alert archive / Hawaii / Flash Flood Warnings in 2004

Flash Flood Warning 15, NWS Honolulu, HI

February 26, 2004

NWS Honolulu, HI issued this flash flood warning at Feb 26, 2004, 1:40 PM HST. 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 outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Feb 26, 2004, 1:40 PM HST (23:40 UTC)
Expired
Feb 26, 2004, 4:45 PM HST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Honolulu, HI
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this flash flood warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The nearest sounding before it

Lihue, (PHLI), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 149 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 2004-02-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 714 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Lihue, at 12:00Z on 2004-02-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 20 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
714 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
735 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
20 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
63 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGHW50 PHFO 262341
FFWHI 
HIZ002-270245-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
140 PM HST THU FEB 26 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HONOLULU HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR
  OAHU

* UNTIL 445 PM HST

* AT 135 PM HST...RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER THE SOUTHERN 
  HALF OF OAHU.  THE AREA OF HEAVY RAIN WAS MOVING NORTH SLOWLY.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF
STREAMS...HIGHWAYS...UNDERPASSES AND LOW LYING AREAS.

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 CROSSING FLOODED ROADWAYS. TURN AROUND...DON/T
DROWN

ESCAPE RISING WATER BY CLIMBING DIRECTLY TO HIGHER GROUND. NEVER TRY
TO OUTRACE A FLOOD...EITHER ON FOOT OR IN YOUR VEHICLE. DO NOT CAMP
NEAR STREAMS OR OTHER AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

LAT...LON 2167 15799 2154 15826 2127 15821 2125 15764
$$

KODAMA
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGHW70 PHFO 270041
FFSHI 
HIZ002-270245-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
240 PM HST THU FEB 26 2004

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 445 PM FOR OAHU...

AT 235 PM HST...WEATHER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE VERY HEAVY
RAINFALL OCCURRING ACROSS PORTIONS OF OAHU. HEAVIEST RAINFALL HAS 
BEEN IN THE WAIMANALO AREA WHERE RADAR ESTIMATES UP TO 4 INCHES OF 
RAIN HAS FALLEN SINCE 130 PM. VERY HEAVY RAIN HAS ALSO OCCURRED NEAR 
AIEA.

THE THUNDERSTORMS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HEAVY RAINS ARE SLOWLY MOVING 
NORTH. LOCATIONS IN CENTRAL OAHU AND ALONG THE WINDWARD SIDE OF OAHU 
NORTH OF KANEOHE CAN EXPECT HEAVY RAINS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES TO FALL AS 
IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.

DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH WATER WHICH COVERS THE ROAD...OR TRY TO CROSS 
FAST FLOWING STREAMS ON FOOT. 

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

$$

NASH

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 Feb 26, 10:00 AM HST, 3 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 26, 10:00 AM HST, 3 hours 40 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
10 AM HST THU FEB 26 2004

.SYNOPSIS...
THE RAINY AND WINDY WEATHER IS BEGINNING TO AFFECT THE ISLANDS.
HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORMING SOUTH OF THE ISLANDS AND
THESE WILL MOVE OVER THE STATE FROM MAUI COUNTY TO KAUAI LATER TODAY
THROUGH FRIDAY. A FRONT NORTHWEST OF THE STATE WILL CROSS THE STATE
BEGINNING WITH KAUAI FRIDAY MORNING...THEN MOVING OVER THE OTHER
ISLANDS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND FRIDAY NIGHT. THE UNSETTLED WEATHER
WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO THE EARLY PART OF NEXT
WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING NORTHWEST OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS WILL PUSH
A FRONT ACROSS THE STATE FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED
SHOWERS WITH SOME THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT THE ISLANDS AHEAD OF THE
FRONT...WITH A NEARLY SOLID BAND OF HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
MOVING ACROSS THE STATE WITH THE FRONT FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. A
DEVELOPING UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL MOVE BY NEAR THE STATE OVER THE
WEEKEND...KEEPING OUR WEATHER UNSETTLED INTO MONDAY. LIGHT SOUTHERLY
WINDS THIS MORNING WILL BE INCREASING THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...
AND MAY BECOME STRONG ENOUGH TO WARRANT A HIGH WIND WARNING OR WIND
ADVISORIES LATER TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO NORTHERLY
BEHIND THE FRONT AND BE STRONG AND GUSTY...AS WELL.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH AND A HIGH WIND WATCH HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR THE
SMALLER ISLANDS FROM KAUAI TO MAUI TO COVER THE PERIOD OF MOST
LIKELY STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY RAINFALL FOR THESE ISLANDS...THROUGH
FRIDAY.

&&

.MARINE...
A NORTHWEST SWELL GENERATED BY A LARGE LOW NEAR THE KAMCHATKA
PENINSULA WILL ARRIVE NEAR KAUAI TONIGHT AND SPREAD DOWN THE CHAIN
FRIDAY. A HIGH SURF ADVISORY WILL LIKELY BE ISSUED FOR THIS SWELL
AT 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON...BUT THE SWELL IS EXPECTED TO BE BIG ENOUGH
TO WARRANT THE ISSUANCE OF A HIGH SURF WARNING FOR FRIDAY NIGHT AND
SATURDAY. THIS WILL ALSO BE AT THE TIME WHEN STRONG SOUTH OR
SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL BE BLOWING ACROSS THE AREA...SO EXPECT ISSUANCE
OF SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES...AND POSSIBLY GALE WARNINGS.

&&

.UPDATE...
FORECASTS UPDATED FOR MORE HEAVY SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS
SMALLER ISLANDS TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
A HIGH WIND WATCH THROUGH FRIDAY FOR ALL BUT THE BIG ISLAND
A FLOOD WATCH THROUGH FRIDAY FOR ALL BUT THE BIG ISLAND

FARRELL

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Hawaii, 2004Every flash flood warning in 2004

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.