Flood in Hawaii, December 12, 1999

Another upper-level low affected the Hawaiian Islands from 9 to 12 December, producing heavy rain over much of the state. The most significant rainfall occurred on Kauai, Oahu, and the island of Hawaii. Important, though not excessive, precipitation fell on Lanai as well.A brief, heavy downpour on Oahu in the midafternoon of 10 December swept a 14-year-old boy down a Waipahu drainage canal for perhaps a quarter-mile. Fortunately, the boy was pulled from the water by a passer-by. Early on 11 December, Waimea Bay and other North Shore beaches on Oahu were closed due to debris from the overflowing Waimea River and rising surf.Showers that hit Lanai about noon on 10 December helped extinguish a 2000-acre brush fire that had been burning for about 24 hours a mile south of Lanai City.In Hilo on the island of Hawaii, Kamehameha Avenue, from the Wailoa River to Mamo Street, was closed from 10 through 12 December because of flooding from excessive storm runoff.All in all, 10 to 18 inches of rain fell on many southeastern and windward sections of the island of Hawaii over the three-day period of 9 to 12 December. The other isles received totals in the 3- to 5-inch range. As was the case in early December, this storm event caused occasional ponding of roadways, minor rock- and landslides, and isolated power outages throughout the island chain.