Hawaii, 2001

Flood in Hawaii, December 12 to 14, 2001

December 12 to 14, 2001 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Heavy showers and rain caused ponding of roadways and minor stream and drainage ditch flooding throughout Maui County. Kilohana Elementary School in East Molokai was closed on the 13th due to a nearby road being impassable because of heavy ponding.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.

Heavy showers and rain caused ponding of roadways and minor stream and drainage ditch flooding throughout Maui County. Kilohana Elementary School in East Molokai was closed on the 13th due to a nearby road being impassable because of heavy ponding. No serious injuries or property damage were reported, however.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, 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 the first event at Dec 12, 4:00 PM HST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 12, 4:00 PM HST, 0 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
4 PM HST WED DEC 12 2001

SUMMARY...WINDY WITH HEAVIER RAINFALL WEDNESDAY THRU FRIDAY.
IMPROVING OVER THE WEEK END.

DISCUSSION...THE UPPER LOW HAS MOVED TO JUST SOUTHEAST OF THE BIG
ISLAND. IT SHOULD PROCEED WESTWARD SOUTH OF ALL ISLANDS TONIGHT AND
TOMORROW. THIS SOUTHERN COURSE SHOULD FURTHER BOOST THE LOWER TRADE
WIND FLOW ALREADY MADE GUSTY BY THE STRONG HIGH NORTHEAST OF US.
THE LOWS WESTWARD MOVEMENT WILL ALSO BRING ITS THICK CLOUD SHIELD
AND SHOWERS OVER THE ISLANDS LATER TONIGHT AND TOMORROW. ONCE THE
LOW MOVES PAST THE ISLANDS IT SHOULD WEAKEN AND ALLOW IMPROVING
CONDITIONS BY SATURDAY. A MOSTLY DRY TRADE WIND REGIME SHOULD BE
IN PLACE FOR NEXT WEEK.  MATSUDA

.PHFO.....WARNINGS.....WINTER STORM BIG ISLAND SUMMITS
.                 .....GALE ALL WATERS
.                 .....HIGH SURF EAST SHORES AFTER 6 PM
.         WATCHES......FLOOD MAUI AND BIG ISLAND
.         ADVISORIES...HIGH SURF EAST SHORES TIL 6 PM
.                   ...WIND ALL ISLANDS

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Maui

When
December 12, 4:00 PM HST to December 14, 10:00 AM HST
Where
Maui County, Countywide
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
20.868, -156.617 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Hawaii in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, December 2001

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5275711.