Alert archive / Hawaii / Flash Flood Warnings in 2004
Flash Flood Warning 34, NWS Honolulu, HI
NWS Honolulu, HI issued this flash flood warning at Feb 28, 2004, 9:25 AM HST for Honolulu County, 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 outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Feb 28, 2004, 9:25 AM HST (19:25 UTC)
- Expired
- Feb 28, 2004, 12:30 PM HST
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Honolulu, HI
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
Counties Honolulu County, HI, Kauai County, HI
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 12:00Z, 7.4 hours before the alert went out and 72 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 308 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -29 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 612 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 57 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 243 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 335 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.7
- Supercell composite
- 3.5
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WGHW50 PHFO 281928 FFWHI HIZ004-007-008-282230- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 925 AM HST SAT FEB 28 2004 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HONOLULU HAS ISSUED A * FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR THE ENTIRE ISLAND OF HAWAII * UNTIL 1230 PM HST * AT 925 AM HST...GENERAL RAIN CONDITIONS AND UNSTABLE AIR CONTINUE TO FAVOR EXCESSIVE RUNOFF AND IMMINENT FLOODING OVER THE ENTIRE BIG ISLAND. SHORT TERM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO IMPROVE THIS AFTERNOON. 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...DO NOT 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 1973 15613 1877 15584 1950 15449 2053 15582 $$
1 follow-up statement
000 WGHW70 PHFO 282231 FFSHI HIZ004-007-008-282330- FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 1230 PM HST SAT FEB 28 2004 ...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR THE BIG ISLAND IS CANCELED AT 1230 PM... ALTHOUGH LIGHT TO MODERATE RAINS CONTINUE OVER MUCH OF THE BIG ISLAND RUNOFF HAS DIMINISHED AND THE THREAT OF RECURRENCE OF HEAVY RAINS IS NOT NOW IMMINENT. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. $$
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 28, 4:00 AM HST, 5 hours 25 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 28, 4:00 AM HST, 5 hours 25 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 4 AM HST SAT FEB 28 2004 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT JUST WEST OF THE BIG ISLAND WILL MOVE EAST OF THE BIG ISLAND TODAY. HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR EAST OF THE FRONT. WEST OF THE FRONT...CONDITIONS WILL BE DRYER...BUT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL POSSIBLE. && .DISCUSSION... THE COLD FRONT APPEARS TO HAVE MOVED ACROSS MAUI COUNTY AND IS NOW THROUGH THE ALENUIHAHA CHANNEL AND JUST WEST THE BIG ISLAND. THE FRONT WILL MOVE EAST OF THE BIG ISLAND TODAY. HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTH OVER THE BIG ISLAND BUT WILL BE SHOVED EAST OF THE ISLAND BY THE FRONT. THE FRONT IS ATTACHED TO A 999 MB SURFACE LOW LOCATED ABOUT 200 MILES NORTH OF OAHU. THE LOW IS THE SURFACE REFLECTION OF AN UPPER LEVEL LOW WHICH IS FORECAST TO SETTLE OVER THE STATE TODAY. COLD AIR ALOFT ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW WILL KEEP THE ATMOSPHERE OVER THE STATE UNSTABLE. EVIDENCE OF THIS INSTABILITY CAN BE FOUND IN THE TOWERING CUMULUS CLOUDS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE AREA WEST OF THE FRONT. ALSO...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE IN THE FORECAST BECAUSE OF DAYTIME HEATING. BECAUSE THE GROUND IS SATURATED ON ALL ISLANDS... AND BECAUSE OF THE ADDITIONAL THE FRONT IS ASSOCIATED WITH A SURFACE LOW NOW ABOUT 225 MILES NORTH OF KAUAI. AN UPPER LOW LOCATED ABOVE THE SURFACE LOW IS FORECAST TO MOVE SOUTH OVER KAUAI SATURDAY THEN LIFT OUT TO THE NORTHEAST SUNDAY. COLD TEMPERATURES ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW ALOFT WILL KEEP THE AIRMASS UNSTABLE...RESULTING IN THE FORMATION OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER LAND IN THE AFTERNOON. THE COLD TEMPERATURES WILL LIFT OUT TO THE NORTHEAST WITH THE LOW...REDUCING THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY. && .MARINE... SWELL DATA FROM BUOY ONE INDICATE THAT SURF ALONG THE NORTH SHORES OF KAUAI AND OAHU WILL BE HIGHER THAN THE 25 FEET FORECAST FOR TONIGHT. THE HIGH SURF WARNING WILL BE ADJUSTED UPPER AT 9 PM PROBABLY TO 20 TO 35 FEET FOR KAUAI AND OAHU. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING SUMMIT OF HALEAKALA...KAU PUNA AND HILO DISTRICTS FLASH FLOOD WATCH ALL ISLANDS WINTER STORM WARNING FOR BIG ISLAND SUMMITS HIGH SURF WARNING ALL NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES EXCEPT FOR LANAI AND NORTH SHORE OF THE BIG ISLAND CRAIG
The office that day
Everything else NWS Honolulu, HI issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 27, 2:31 PM HST | Flash Flood Warning | HFO | 3 hr | |
| Feb 27, 3:07 PM HST | Flash Flood Warning | HFO | Honolulu | 3 hr |
| Feb 27, 4:20 PM HST | Flash Flood Warning | HFO | Kauai | 3 hr |
| Feb 27, 5:20 PM HST | Flash Flood Warning | HFO | 3 hr | |
| Feb 27, 5:41 PM HST | Flash Flood Warning | HFO | Kauai | 3 hr |
| Feb 27, 5:50 PM HST | Flash Flood Warning | HFO | Honolulu | 3 hr |
| Feb 27, 8:24 PM HST | Flash Flood Warning | HFO | Honolulu | 3 hr |
| Feb 27, 8:36 PM HST | Flash Flood Warning | HFO | Kauai | 3 hr |
| Feb 27, 9:50 PM HST | Flash Flood Warning | HFO | Honolulu, Kauai | 3 hr |
| Feb 27, 11:30 PM HST | Flash Flood Warning | HFO | Kauai | 3 hr |
| Feb 28, 12:45 AM HST | Flash Flood Warning | HFO | Honolulu, Kauai | 3 hr |
| Feb 28, 3:30 AM HST | Flash Flood Warning | HFO | Honolulu, Kauai | 3 hr |
| Feb 28, 6:30 AM HST | Flash Flood Warning | HFO | Honolulu, Kauai | 3 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.