Hawaii, 2001

Flood in Hawaii, November 27, 2001

November 27, 2001 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Heavy rain, showers, and isolated thunderstorms caused stream and drainage ditch flooding and ponding of roadways in the North and South Hilo, Puna, and Kau districts on the island of Hawaii. Some roads in the South Hilo District were closed for a time due to heavy ponding and minor landslides.

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.

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  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
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  • Winter weather
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  • Cold
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  • Marine and coastal
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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 rain, showers, and isolated thunderstorms caused stream and drainage ditch flooding and ponding of roadways in the North and South Hilo, Puna, and Kau districts on the island of Hawaii. Some roads in the South Hilo District were closed for a time due to heavy ponding and minor landslides. However, no serious injuries or property damage were reported.

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 Nov 27, 10:00 AM HST, 4 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 27, 10:00 AM HST, 4 hours 20 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
10 AM HST TUE NOV 27 2001

SUMMARY...WIDESPREAD RAIN WILL CONTINUE OVER ALL ISLANDS TODAY AND
TONIGHT. HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORM WILL LIKELY CONCENTRATE ON
MOLOKAI LANAI MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND...AND TO A LESSER EXTENT OAHU
THIS AFTERNOON. STRONG SOUTH WINDS WILL ALSO CONTINUE OVER MAUI
COUNTY AND THE BIG ISLAND.

DISCUSSION...A KONA LOW HAS FORMED SOUTHWEST OF KAUAI. MODELS HAVE A
RELATIVELY GOOD HANDLE ON THIS FEATURE...EVENTUALLY ARRESTING ITS
PRESENT NORTHEAST MOTION AND MOVING IT OFF TO THE WEST DURING THE
NEXT 48 HOURS. THE COLD FRONT THAT PUSHED ACROSS OAHU AND MOLOKAI
LAST NIGHT REACHED MAUI WHERE IS FELL APART AND IS NO LONGER
IDENTIFIABLE.

HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO FORM SOUTH OF THE
ISLANDS MOVING NORTH TOWARDS MAUI COUNTY AND THE BIG ISLAND WHERE
A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT. SOME OF THE HEAVY RAIN WILL ALSO
MOVE ACROSS OAHU...MAINLY OVER THE EAST HALF. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE
FORMING IN AN AREA OF STRONG LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE LYING BETWEEN THE
LOW TO THE SOUTHWEST AND HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTHEAST.

THE STRONG SOUTH WINDS OVER THE EASTERN PART OF THE STATE WILL
PROBABLY DIMINISH LATER TODAY. CRAIG.

.PHFO.....WARNINGS.....FLOOD FOR SOUTH AND EAST HAWAII. HIGH WIND
                       MOLOKAI EASTWARD TO THE BIG ISLAND
.                      GALE MOLOKAI EASTWARD
.         WATCHES......FLOOD MOLOKAI EASTWARD
.         ADVISORIES...HIGH SURF NORTHWEST SHORES CANCELED AT 9 AM
.                      SMALL CRAFT KAUAI AND OAHU
.         STATEMENTS...FLOOD WEST HAWAII

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, Hawaii

When
November 27, 2:20 PM HST to 11:20 PM HST
Where
Hawaii County, Laupahoehoe
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
19.602, -155.523 (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, November 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: 5273115.