Alert archive / Hawaii / Flash Flood Warnings in 2015

Flash Flood Warning 49, NWS Honolulu, HI

September 16, 2015Hawaii County, Hawaii

NWS Honolulu, HI issued this flash flood warning at Sep 16, 2015, 1:57 PM HST for Hawaii County, Hawaii. It was in force for 3 hr. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Sep 16, 2015, 1:57 PM HST (23:57 UTC)
Expired
Sep 16, 2015, 4:45 PM HST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Honolulu, HI
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Hawaii County, HI

The radar

The South Shore radar (PHWA), 27 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:54 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Sep 16, 2:52 PM HSTFLASH FLOOD1 Se Kailua-Kona, HIHUALALAI ROAD FROM QUEEN KAAHUMANU HWY TO HIENALOLI RD AND KUAKINI HWY AT ONIONI ST HAVE BEEN CLOSED.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Hilo, (PITO), launched 12:00Z, 12.0 hours before the alert went out and 90 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 12:00Z on 2015-09-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 116 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Hilo, at 12:00Z on 2015-09-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -10 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
116 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-29 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
812 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
5 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-10 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-4 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.

697 
WGHW50 PHFO 162357
FFWHFO
HIC001-170245-
/O.NEW.PHFO.FF.W.0049.150916T2357Z-150917T0245Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
157 PM HST WED SEP 16 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HONOLULU HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 445 PM HST

* AT 150 PM HST...RADAR SHOWED HEAVY RAIN OVER THE SLOPES OF THE 
  NORTH AND SOUTH KONA DISTRICTS WITH RATES OF 1 TO 3 INCHES PER 
  HOUR. THE RAINFALL IS OCCURRING OVER AREAS SATURATED BY PREVIOUS 
  RAINFALL. NORMALLY DRY DRAINAGES AND STREAM CHANNELS WILL FLOW 
  QUICKLY. RUNOFF MAY RESULT IN THE CLOSING OF ROADS IN THE 
  AREA...ESPECIALLY NEAR WAIAHA...HOLUALOA AND HONALO. AVOID 
  UNNECESSARY TRAVEL.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...
  KAILUA-KONA...CAPTAIN COOK...HONAUNAU...PAHALA...KAWA FLATS...
  NAALEHU...KEALAKEKUA...KAINALIU...WAIKOLOA AND PUUANAHULU.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING IN
STREAMS...ROADS AND LOW LYING AREAS. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND NOW.

DO NOT CROSS FAST FLOWING OR RISING WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE OR ON FOOT.
TURN AROUND...DON/T DROWN.

&&

THIS WARNING MAY NEED TO BE EXTENDED BEYOND 445 PM HST IF HEAVY RAIN
PERSISTS.

THIS FLASH FLOOD WARNING REPLACES THE PREVIOUSLY ISSUED ADVISORY THAT
WAS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE ISLAND OF HAWAII IN HAWAII COUNTY.

LAT...LON 1897 15572 1904 15588 1910 15592 1936 15589
      1959 15597 1973 15606 1995 15587 1985 15548
      1927 15530 1913 15551 1908 15556 1904 15556
      1891 15568

$$

KODAMA
2 follow-up statements
979 
WGHW70 PHFO 170107
FFSHFO

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
307 PM HST WED SEP 16 2015

HIC001-170245-
/O.CON.PHFO.FF.W.0049.000000T0000Z-150917T0245Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
HAWAII HI-
307 PM HST WED SEP 16 2015

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 445 PM HST FOR THE
ISLAND OF HAWAII IN HAWAII COUNTY...

AT 252 PM HST...SOCIAL MEDIA REPORTS INDICATED THAT HUALALAI ROAD 
FROM QUEEN KAAHUMANU HIGHWAY TO HIENALOLI ROAD...AND KUAKINI HIGHWAY 
AT ONIONI STREET HAVE BEEN CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING. RAINFALL HAS 
EASED FOR NOW OVER THE KONA SLOPES BUT HEAVY RAIN IS NOW OCCURRING 
NEAR WAIKOLOA...WOOD VALLEY AND PAHALA.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...KAILUA-
KONA...CAPTAIN COOK...HONAUNAU...PAHALA...KAWA FLATS...  
NAALEHU...KEALAKEKUA...KAINALIU...WAIKOLOA AND PUUANAHULU.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING IN
STREAMS...ROADS AND LOW LYING AREAS. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND NOW.

DO NOT CROSS FAST FLOWING OR RISING WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE OR ON FOOT.
TURN AROUND...DON/T DROWN.

&&

THIS WARNING MAY NEED TO BE EXTENDED BEYOND 445 PM HST IF HEAVY RAIN
PERSISTS.

LAT...LON 1897 15572 1904 15588 1910 15592 1936 15589
      1959 15597 1973 15606 1995 15587 1985 15548
      1927 15530 1913 15551 1908 15556 1904 15556
      1891 15568

$$

KODAMA
135 
WGHW70 PHFO 170240
FFSHFO

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
440 PM HST WED SEP 16 2015

HIC001-170248-
/O.EXP.PHFO.FF.W.0049.000000T0000Z-150917T0245Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
HAWAII HI-
440 PM HST WED SEP 16 2015

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR THE ISLAND OF HAWAII IN HAWAII COUNTY
WILL EXPIRE AT 445 PM HST...

WEATHER RADAR SHOWED THAT HEAVY RAIN IN KONA HAS ENDED AND THE 
RAINFALL IN THE KAU DISTRICT IS DIMINISHING. PORTIONS OF HUALALAI 
ROAD AND KUAKINI HIGHWAY REMAIN CLOSED DUE TO FLOOD DEBRIS.

LAT...LON 1897 15572 1904 15588 1910 15592 1936 15589
      1959 15597 1973 15606 1995 15587 1985 15548
      1927 15530 1913 15551 1908 15556 1904 15556
      1891 15568

$$

KODAMA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 15, 2:43 PM HSTAreal Flood AdvisoryHFOKalawao3 hr
Sep 15, 2:51 PM HSTAreal Flood AdvisoryHFOHawaii3 hr
Sep 15, 3:41 PM HSTFlash Flood WarningHFOHawaii6 hr
Sep 15, 9:15 PM HSTAreal Flood AdvisoryHFOHonolulu3 hr
Sep 16, 12:18 PM HSTAreal Flood AdvisoryHFOHawaii3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Hawaii, 2015Every flash flood warning in 2015

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.