Alert archive / Hawaii / Flash Flood Warnings in 2004

Flash Flood Warning 16, NWS Honolulu, HI

February 26, 2004

NWS Honolulu, HI issued this flash flood warning at Feb 26, 2004, 4:35 PM HST. It was in force for 2 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, 4:35 PM HST (02:35 UTC)
Expired
Feb 26, 2004, 7:00 PM HST
In force
2 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

Hilo, (PITO), launched 00:00Z, 2.6 hours before the alert went out and 348 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, Hilo, at 00:00Z on 2004-02-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Hilo, at 00:00Z on 2004-02-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 46 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1959 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
46 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
49 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGHW50 PHFO 270237
FFWHI 
HIZ002-270500-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HONOLULU HAS CONTINUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR
  SOUTHEAST OAHU

* UNTIL 700 PM HST

* AT 430 PM HST...RADAR INDICATED HEAVY RAIN CONTINUING OVER 
  PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST OAHU. ALTHOUGH RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO 
  DIMINISH EARLY THIS EVENING...RUNOFF FROM THE HEAVY RAINS THIS 
  AFTERNOON WILL CONTINUE. MANOA STREAM HAS BEEN REPORTED TO BE OUT 
  OF ITS BANK IN PARTS OF MANOA VALLEY. MANY ROADS AROUND HONOLULU 
  ARE WATER COVERED WITH SOME LANES REPORTED CLOSED. 

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  HONOLULU...
  MOANALUA...
  MAUNAWILI...
  KANEOHE...
  WAIMANALO...


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 
ATTEMPT TO CROSS RUNNING WATER ON FOOT AND STAY AWAY FROM DRAINAGE 
CANALS AND DITCHES. 

LAT...LON 2129 15801 2121 15765 2156 15760 2154 15788
$$

NASH
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGHW70 PHFO 270445
FFSHI 
HIZ002-270545-

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

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR SOUTHEAST OAHU...

WEATHER RADAR INDICATED THE HEAVY RAINFALL HAS ENDED ACROSS THE
WARNED AREA....AND THERE IS NO LONGER A THREAT FOR SERIOUS FLOODING.

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

$$
CRAIG

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, 4:00 PM HST, 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 26, 4:00 PM HST, 35 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
4 PM HST THU FEB 26 2004

.SYNOPSIS...
HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT AFFECTED MAINLY KAUAI AND
OAHU TODAY WILL CONTINUE AT TIMES TONIGHT. THE MAIN FRONTAL BAND
WILL CROSS KAUAI FRIDAY MORNING...THEN MOVE TO OAHU BY AFTERNOON AND
MAUI COUNTY EARLY NIGHT...BRINGING MORE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH ITS PASSAGE. STRONG SOUTH WINDS WILL
ALSO PRECEDE THE FRONT...WITH FRESH AND COOLER NORTHERLY WINDS
BEHIND IT. THE UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL CONTINUE ON SATURDAY...BUT IS
NOW EXPECTED TO EASE OFF SUNDAY AND INTO 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 ON SATURDAY
AS WELL...KEEPING OUR WEATHER UNSETTLED. LIGHT SOUTHERLY WINDS THIS
EVENING WILL BE INCREASING TOWARD MORNING...THEN BECOME STRONG AND
GUSTY ON FRIDAY. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO NORTHERLY BEHIND THE FRONT AND
BE STRONG AND GUSTY...AS WELL.

&&

.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 IS IN EFFECT AS OF 4 PM TODAY...BUT THE
SWELL IS EXPECTED TO RIST HIGH ENOUGH TO WARRANT THE ISSUANCE OF A
HIGH SURF WARNING FOR FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. SMALL CRAFT
ADVISORIES WILL BE ISSUED LATER TONIGHT FOR STRONG SOUTHERLY
WINDS...WITH POSSIBLE GALE WARNINGS NEEDED ON FRIDAY.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH WIND WATCH THROUGH FRIDAY FOR ALL ISLANDS
FLOOD WATCH THROUGH FRIDAY FOR ALL BUT THE BIG ISLAND
HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR ALL NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES AT 4 PM.

FARRELL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 27, 12:15 AM HSTFlash Flood WarningHFOKauai3 hr
Feb 27, 3:15 AM HSTFlash Flood WarningHFOKauai3 hr
Feb 27, 6:16 AM HSTFlash Flood WarningHFOKauai3 hr
Feb 27, 11:42 AM HSTFlash Flood WarningHFO3 hr

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.