Hawaii, 2001

Flood in Hawaii, November 27 to 28, 2001

November 27 to 28, 2001 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Heavy showers, rain, and isolated thunderstorms produced ponding of roadways and stream and drainage ditch flooding in southeast and southern sections of the Big Island of Hawaii. However, there were no reports of serious property damage or injuries.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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, rain, and isolated thunderstorms produced ponding of roadways and stream and drainage ditch flooding in southeast and southern sections of the Big Island of Hawaii. However, there were no reports of serious property damage or injuries.

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, 8:30 PM HST, 2 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 27, 8:30 PM HST, 2 hours 50 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
830 PM HST TUE NOV 27 2001

SUMMARY...A KONA LOW FORMING WEST SOUTHWEST OF KAUAI...A STALLED
FRONTAL BAND OVER MAUI COUNTY AND WET SOUTHERLY FLOW AT ALL LEVELS
OF THE ATMOSPHERE OVER THE STATE WILL KEEP THINGS WET FOR ANOTHER
DAY OR TWO. HEAVY SHOWERS ALONG A CONVERGENCE BAND NOW OVER THE BIG
ISLAND WILL LIKELY SPREAD WESTWARD OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS TO HELP
PRODUCE MORE RAIN FOR THE SMALLER ISLANDS. THE BIG ISLAND
CONVERGENCE PLUME MAY ALSO ENHANCE SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE
THUNDERSTORMS.

DISCUSSION...THE MUCH HERALDED KONA LOW HAS FORMED WEST SOUTHWEST OF
KAUAI AND IS NOW MOVING WESTWARD SLOWLY. THIS WILL...IN TIME...PULL
THE WET WEATHER NOW OVER THE ISLANDS WESTWARD WITH THE HELP OF AN
UPPER RIDGE TO THE EAST OF THE STATE. IN THE MEANTIME...WET WEATHER
REMAINS IN THE FORECAST AS A MOIST CONVERGENT SOUTHERLY FLOW
CONTINUES TO BRING CONVECTIVE RAINS UP OVER MAUI COUNTY AND THE BIG
ISLAND...AND MORE LAYERED CLOUD AND GENERAL RAINS UP OVER OAHU AND
KAUAI. THIS WILL BE THE PATTERN THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT...WITH A
GRADUAL WESTWARD SHIFT OF THE HEAVIER RAINFALL FOCUS. THERE MAY BE
SOME CLEARING BY THURSDAY...ESPECIALLY OVER THE EASTERN END OF THE
STATE...AS TRADE WINDS BRING MORE STABLE CONDITIONS. FARRELL

.PHFO.....WARNINGS.....FLASH FLOOD SOUTHEASTERN BIG ISLAND
.         WATCHES......FLOOD FOR MOLOKAI LANAI MAUI AND BIG ISLAND
.         ADVISORIES...SMALL CRAFT ALL HAWAIIAN WATERS

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, 11:20 PM HST to November 28, 3:35 AM HST
Where
Hawaii County, Volcano
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: 5273116.