Alert archive / Hawaii / Flash Flood Warnings in 2005

Flash Flood Warning 12, NWS Honolulu, HI

February 2, 2005Kauai County, Hawaii

NWS Honolulu, HI issued this flash flood warning at Feb 2, 2005, 3:25 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 outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Feb 2, 2005, 3:25 PM HST (01:25 UTC)
Expired
Feb 2, 2005, 6:30 PM HST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Honolulu, HI
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County 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

Lihue, (PHLI), launched 00:00Z, 1.4 hours before the alert went out and 22 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 00:00Z on 2005-02-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 113 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 00:00Z on 2005-02-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 13 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
113 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-43 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
719 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
13 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-28 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 030132
FFWHFO
HIC007-030430-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
325 PM HST WED FEB 2 2005

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HONOLULU HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  THE ISLAND OF KAUAI IN KAUAI COUNTY

* UNTIL 630 PM HST

* AT 315 PM HST...KAUAI POLICE REPORTED THAT THE HANALEI BRIDGE IS 
  STILL CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING ON HANALEI RIVER.  STREAM LEVELS   
  IN OTHER NORTH AND EAST KAUAI STREAMS ALSO REMAIN HIGH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO WAINIHA...
  HANALEI...PRINCEVILLE...KILAUEA...ANAHOLA...KAPAA...WAILUA AND 
  LIHUE.

ALTHOUGH RAINFALL RATES HAVE DIMINISHED...SIGNIFICANT RUNOFF OVER 
NORTH AND EAST KAUAI WILL CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS.

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.

THIS FLASH FLOOD WARNING MAY NEED TO BE EXTENDED BEYOND 630 PM HST 
IF FLOODING CONDITIONS PERSIST.

LAT...LON 2214 15964 2187 15938 2220 15928 2224 15963

$$

KODAMA
1 follow-up statement
000
WGHW70 PHFO 030358
FFSHFO

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
550 PM HST WED FEB 2 2005

HIC007-030500-
KAUAI-
550 PM HST WED FEB 2 2005

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR THE ISLAND OF KAUAI IN KAUAI
COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR KAUAI COUNTY THROUGH 
TONIGHT...

RAINFALL HAS DIMINISHED OVER KAUAI AND RUNOFF OVER MOST AREAS HAS 
SUBSIDED.  HOWEVER...THE HANALEI BRIDGE REMAINS CLOSED. 

SIGNIFICANT 24 HOUR RAINFALL TOTALS AS OF 500 PM HST WEDNESDAY 
INCLUDE 7.29 INCHES AT HANALEI...6.92 INCHES AT THE HANALEI RIVER 
GAGE AND 9.29 INCHES AT WAILUA.

LAT...LON 2214 15964 2187 15938 2220 15928 2224 15963

$$

KODAMA

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 2, 10:00 AM HST, 5 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 2, 10:00 AM HST, 5 hours 25 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1000 AM HST WED FEB 2 2005

.SYNOPSIS...
A TROUGH WILL CONTINUE TO CREATE VERY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS OVER THE
ISLANDS TODAY. THIS INSTABILITY WILL PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF
HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THE TROUGH WILL GRADUALLY WEAKEN
STARTING TONIGHT...ALLOWING DRIER WEATHER TO RETURN. THE TROUGH IS
ALSO KEEPING WINDS LIGHT OVER THE ISLANDS. AS THE TROUGH WEAKENS...
TRADE WINDS WILL RETURN BY THIS WEEKEND.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
A NORTHEAST TO SOUTHWEST TROUGH...AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT...IS
CENTERED OVER THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. WITH THE TROUGH OVER THE
ISLANDS...THE ATMOSPHERE CONTINUES TO BE VERY UNSTABLE AND
THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO FORM AROUND THE ISLANDS. SATELLITE IMAGERY
AND SURFACE ANALYSES SHOW A SURFACE LOW WITHIN THE TROUGH SOUTHWEST
OF THE ISLANDS. WITH THE TROUGH OVER THE ISLANDS...LOW LEVEL WINDS
ARE GENERALLY NORTHEAST NEAR KAUAI AND SOUTHEAST NEAR THE BIG ISLAND
OF HAWAII.

BROKEN LAYERED CLOUDS COMPLETELY BLANKET THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
BLOCKING THE VIEW OVER LOWER LEVEL FEATURES BUT FROM WHAT WE CAN
TELL FROM RADAR IMAGERY THERE ARE EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS...MOSTLY
NORTHWEST OF MOLOKAI. THE NORTHEAST FLOW NEAR THE SURFACE IS
KEEPING THUNDERSTORMS ANCHORED OVER KAUAI SO HEAVY RAIN CONTINUES
THERE. THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO CONCENTRATED OVER WATER SOUTHWEST OF
OAHU...POSSIBLY ALONG A CLOUD PLUME IN THE LEE OF THE ISLAND.

THE COMPUTER MODELS ALL SHOW A TROUGH REMAINING OVER THE ISLANDS
AND GRADUALLY WEAKENING...BUT AS HAS GENERALLY BEEN THE CASE WITH
THIS WEATHER SYSTEM...THE MODELS DIFFER ON THE DETAILS. THE GFS
SHOWS THE CLOUDS AND SHOWERS DISSIPATING RAPIDLY TONIGHT...WHILE
THE NAM AND NOGAPS SHOW A SLOWER DISSIPATION. THE GFS HAS NOT
PERFORMED AS WELL AS SOME OF THE OTHER MODELS...SO WE WILL FOLLOW
THE ETA AND KEEP THUNDERSTORMS...HEAVY SHOWERS AND EXTENSIVE CLOUDS
THROUGH TOMORROW.

WHILE DIFFERING IN THE DETAILS...THE MODELS ARE IN GENERAL
AGREEMENT ON A SURFACE LOW MOVING NORTHEAST OVER THE ISLANDS THIS
EVENING WITH THE LOW MOVING AWAY TO THE NORTHEAST TOMORROW. WHEN
THE LOW MOVES NORTH OF THE ISLANDS THIS EVENING...THE GREATEST
CHANCE FOR HEAVY RAIN WILL SHIFT SOUTHEAST AWAY FROM KAUAI AND OAHU
AND OVER MAUI COUNTY AND THE BIG ISLAND TONIGHT AND TOMORROW. IT
WILL PROBABLY BE NECESSARY TO EXTEND THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR
KAUAI AND OAHU THROUGH TONIGHT AND THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR
THE BIG ISLAND SUMMITS AND THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR MAUI COUNTY AND
THE BIG ISLAND THROUGH TOMORROW.

THE CLOUD BAND OVER THE ISLANDS WILL CONTINUE TO SLOWLY WEAKEN AND
SLOWLY SHIFT SOUTHEAST FRIDAY. BY FRIDAY NIGHT THE CLOUD BAND
ASSOCIATED WITH THE TROUGH WILL BE EAST OF THE BIG ISLAND AND TRADE
WIND WEATHER WILL BE RETURNING TO THE ISLANDS.

THIS IS A LARGE AND COMPLEX SYSTEM...AND THE MODELS HAVE NOT BEEN
PERFORMING TOO WELL...SO THE SCENARIO I HAVE OUTLINED ABOVE MAY WELL
REQUIRE ADJUSTMENTS.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR NIIHAU KAUAI OAHU THROUGH TONIGHT.

FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR MAUI MOLOKAI LAND KAHOOLAWE AND THE BIG ISLAND
THROUGH TOMORROW.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR BIG ISLAND SUMMITS THROUGH TOMORROW.

&&

DONALDSON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 2, 8:45 PM HSTSpecial Marine WarningHFO60 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Hawaii, 2005Every flash flood warning in 2005

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.