Alert archive / Hawaii / Flash Flood Warnings in 2005

Flash Flood Warning 29, NWS Honolulu, HI

September 23, 2005Honolulu County, Hawaii

NWS Honolulu, HI issued this flash flood warning at Sep 23, 2005, 8:00 PM HST for Honolulu 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: Sep 23, 2005, 8:00 PM HST (06:00 UTC)
Expired: Sep 23, 2005, 11:00 PM HST
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Honolulu, HI
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Honolulu 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, 6.0 hours before the alert went out and 160 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1121 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -13 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 941 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 18 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 55 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.1
Supercell composite: 1.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000
WGHW50 PHFO 240559
FFWHFO
HIC003-240900-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
800 PM HST FRI SEP 23 2005

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HONOLULU HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  THE ISLAND OF OAHU IN HONOLULU COUNTY

* UNTIL 1100 PM HST

* AT 748 PM HST...CIVIL DEFENSE OFFICIALS REPORTED THAT FLOODING 
  HAD FORCED THE CLOSURE OF KAMEHAMEHA HIGHWAY BETWEEN WAIKANE AND 
  WAIAHOLE.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO PUNALUU...
  LAIE...KAHUKU...KAAAWA AND HAUULA.

WHILE RAINFALL WAS DIMINISHING...EXCESSIVE RUNOFF AND SATURATED SOIL 
FROM EARLIER RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO 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 TO CROSS 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 2169 15805 2134 15783 2132 15766 2146 15772
      2174 15797

$$

RYSHKO

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 Sep 23, 4:00 PM HST, 4 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 23, 4:00 PM HST, 4 hours before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
400 PM HST FRI SEP 23 2005

.SYNOPSIS...
A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS OVER THE STATE WILL MAINTAIN THE THREAT
OF LOCALLY HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE EARLY
EVENING..AND AGAIN SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THE THREAT WILL DIMINISH
SUNDAY AS THE UPPER LOW RESPONSIBLE FOR THE UNSTABLE CONDITIONS
MOVES AWAY FROM THE STATE. EXPECT A GRADUAL SHIFT TOWARD TRADE WIND
WEATHER OVER THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...TROPICAL STORM JOVA...CURRENTLY 300 MILES NORTHEAST OF
HILO...CONTINUES TO WEAKEN ON A TRACK THAT IS NOT EXPECTED CROSS THE
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. WHILE JOVA ITSELF WILL NOT AFFECT THE STATE
DIRECTLY...WE WILL FEEL INDIRECT IMPACTS IN THE WAY OF LIGHT TRADES
AND A MOIST AIRMASS. IN ADDITION...THE SAME TROUGH WHICH IS
RESPONSIBLE FOR TURNING JOVA ON A NORTHWESTWARD TRACK TO THE EAST OF
THE ISLANDS...IS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR THE UNSTABLE AIRMASS IN PLACE
OVER THE ISLANDS.

WEATHER WISE...OAHU LIVED UP TO ITS NICKNAME AS THE GATHERING PLACE
TODAY AS HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AFFECTED SEVERAL AREAS OF
THE ISLANDS. WHILE AFTERNOON HEATING COMBINED WITH THE UNSTABLE
AIRMASS PRODUCED CLOUDS AND SHOWERS ACROSS ALL ISLANDS TODAY...OAHU
WAS HIT HARDEST AS THE NORMALLY WESTWARD EXTENDING BIG ISLAND PLUME
DRIFTED NORTHWARD AND OVER OAHU...PROVIDING AN ADDITIONAL BOOST.
REPORTS OF HEAVY RAINFALL...THUNDER AND LIGHTNING STARTED TO COME IN
FROM THE WINDWARD SIDE JUST BEFORE LUNCH AND CONTINUED THROUGH THE
EARLY AFTERNOON. OVER THE SIX HOUR PERIOD ENDING AT 2 PM HST...SOME
IMPRESSIVE RAINFALL TOTALS WERE NOTED ALONG THE KOOLAUS.
LULUKU...WAIHEE...AND AHUIMANU RECORDED 2.22 2.64 AND 3.71
INCHES...RESPECTIVELY. LATER...HEAVY RAINFALL AFFECTED THE NORTH
SHORE AREA BETWEEN HALEIWA AND MOKULEIA PROMPTING THE ISSUANCE OF A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING.

AS THE HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE DUE IN PART TO THE
AFTERNOON HEATING...EXPECT THE SHOWERS TO DIMINISH AS THE EVENING
PROGRESSES. ON SATURDAY...ANTICIPATE THE MORNING WILL START OFF
PRETTY GOOD...SIMILAR TO TODAY...BUT CONDITIONS REMAIN CONDUCIVE FOR
ANOTHER ROUND OF LOCALLY HEAVY SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN
THE AFTERNOON. WILL ONLY MENTION THUNDERSTORMS FOR KAUAI AND
OAHU..AS THEY ARE CLOSEST TO THE UPPER LOW. ON SUNDAY...STILL EXPECT
AFTERNOON CLOUDS AND SHOWERS BUT CHANCE FOR HEAVY SHOWERS WILL
DIMINISH SIGNIFICANTLY AS RIDGING OVERHEAD PUSHES THE UPPER LOW
FURTHER AWAY FROM THE ISLANDS.

EXPECT A GRADUAL CHANGE IN THE WEATHER PATTERN TOWARD TRADE WIND
CONDITIONS EARLY NEXT WEEK. HOWEVER...TROPICAL STORM KENNETH IS
LURKING OVER 1100 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF HILO...AND IS FORECAST TO
CROSS 140W SOMETIME SUNDAY NIGHT. EFFECTS OF KENNETH...IF ANY...ON
THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS REMAIN MORE THAN A WEEK AWAY.

&&

.MARINE...
SURF ACROSS EAST FACING SHORES FROM TROPICAL STORM JOVA HAVE FALLEN
BELOW THE ADVISORY LEVEL OF 8 FEET...THUS THE HIGH SURF ADVISORY HAS
BEEN CANCELLED.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

TANABE

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 23, 4:25 PM HST, 3 hours 35 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
425 PM HST FRI SEP 23 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0400 PM     FLOOD            3 S KANEOHE             21.37N 157.79W
09/23/2005                   HONOLULU           HI   NWS EMPLOYEE

            FLOODED ROADWAYS FROM KANEOHE TO PALI GOLF COURSE.

&&

NH

Local storm report, Sep 23, 4:42 PM HST, 3 hours 18 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
442 PM HST FRI SEP 23 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0438 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     MILILANI TOWN           21.45N 158.02W
09/23/2005                   HONOLULU           HI   EMERGENCY MNGR

&&

LREED

Local storm report, Sep 23, 5:37 PM HST, 2 hours 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
537 PM HST FRI SEP 23 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0450 PM     FLOOD            KAILUA                  21.40N 157.74W
09/23/2005                   HONOLULU           HI   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            MUDSLIDE AT KALAHEO H.S.

0450 PM     FLOOD            2 NW KAHALUU            21.48N 157.86W
09/23/2005                   HONOLULU           HI   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            ON KAMEHAMEHA HWY

0500 PM     FLOOD            HAUULA                  21.59N 157.92W
09/23/2005                   HONOLULU           HI   EMERGENCY MNGR

            HOUSE FLOODED

0510 PM     FLOOD            KANEOHE                 21.41N 157.79W
09/23/2005                   HONOLULU           HI   PUBLIC

            FLOODED ROADS NEAR WINDWARD MALL. FIRE DEPT TRYING TO
            PUMP WATER AWAY.

&&

LREED

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 23, 3:04 PM HST	Flash Flood Warning	HFO	Honolulu	3 hr
Sep 23, 5:04 PM HST	Flash Flood Warning	HFO	Honolulu	3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Hawaii, 2005 Every 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.