Heavy Rain, Hawaii
- When
- February 24, 2:00 AM HST to 8:00 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)
Heavy Rain in Hawaii, February 24, 2002
Heavy showers and thunderstorms produced stream and drainage ditch flooding and ponding of roadways in the Hilo districts of the Big Island of Hawaii. In a few areas, trees were knocked on to power lines, causing power outages.
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
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 thunderstorms produced stream and drainage ditch flooding and ponding of roadways in the Hilo districts of the Big Island of Hawaii. In a few areas, trees were knocked on to power lines, causing power outages. There were no reports of serious injuries or property damage.
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 Feb 23, 8:30 PM HST, 5 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 23, 8:30 PM HST, 5 hours 30 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 830 PM HST SAT FEB 23 2002 SUMMARY...ONCE AGAIN A MID-LEVEL OR KONA LOW WILL BRING THE ISLANDS MORE MOISTURE BEGINNING SUNDAY. WITH THE KONA LOW DEVELOPING AROUND MOLOKAI...THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL WILL LIKELY BE OVER MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND MONDAY AND TUESDAY. BUT WITH THE ADDED MOISTURE COMING AT US FROM THE NORTHWEST...ALL ISLANDS WILL SEE RAINFALL INTO EARLY IN THE COMING WEEK. STRONG WINDS MAY ALSO BE A PROBLEM...ESPECIALLY WEST OF MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND. DISCUSSION...A COLD FRONT IS SLOWING IN ITS APPROACH FROM THE NORTHWEST AS WINDS NORTH OF THE FRONT TURN MORE NORTHERLY AT ALL LEVELS...INDICATING THE DIGGING SOUTHWARD OF COLDER AIR. IT IS THIS COLDER AIR...ESPECIALLY AT MID LEVELS...THAT WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CUTTING OFF A KONA LOW OVER THE ISLANDS LATE MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. MEANWHILE...MOISTURE FROM THE APPROACHING FRONT WILL START RAINFALL OVER THE ISLANDS AS IT INTERACTS WITH MOISTURE FROM THE EAST THAT IS NOW OVER MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND. EXPECT SHOWERS TO BEGIN OVER WINDWARD MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND EARLY SUNDAY IN RESPONSE TO AN INVERTED SURFACE TROUGH IN THAT VICINITY...AND FILL IN LATER IN THE DAY INTO SUNDAY NIGHT OVER ALL ISLANDS...AS THE FRONTAL MOISTURE WEST OF KAUAI GETS DRAWN INTO THE CONVERGENCE AREA. SHOWERS... ESPECIALLY OVER MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND...WILL INTENSIFY MONDAY AND TUESDAY AS THE COLDER AIR ALOFT IS SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE LOWER LEVEL MOISTURE TO PROVIDE A MECHANISM FOR DEEPER CONVECTION AND HEAVIER RAINFALL. WITH LIFTED INDICES LOWER THAN -2 FORECAST OVER THE BIG ISLAND AND MAUI...HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ANYTIME MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. THE KONA LOW WILL LINGER OVER THE EASTERN END OF THE STATE INTO EARLY THURSDAY...WITH SOME ENHANCEMENT OF TRADE WIND SHOWERS EXPECTED THROUGH THAT TIME PERIOD OVER ALL ISLANDS. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INVERTED SURFACE TROUGH NEAR THE BIG ISLAND ON SUNDAY AND THE APPROACH OF HIGHER PRESSURE FROM THE NORTHWEST WILL TIGHTEN THE PRESSURE GRADIENT...THUS STRENGTHEN TRADE WINDS... FROM MAUI WESTWARD BEGINNING ON SUNDAY. THIS STRENGTHENING IS EXPECTED TO PEAK SUNDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY...WITH POSSIBLE GALE FORCE WINDS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS DURING THIS PERIOD AS THE KONA LOW DEVELOPS AT MID LEVELS AND TENDS TO ENHANCE THE TRADE WINDS WEST OF MAUI WHILE WEAKENING THEM OVER MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND. GALE WARNINGS AND WIND ADVISORIES MAY BE NECESSARY DURING THIS TIME FRAME OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE STATE. SURF...A HIGH SURF ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWEST SHORES. SURF HEIGHTS MAY BE PEAKING THIS EVENING...WITH SOME BEACHES REPORTING HEIGHTS UP TO AN OCCASIONAL 15 FEET. FARRELL .HFO.....WARNINGS.....NONE . WATCHES......NONE . ADVISORIES...HIGH SURF ADVISORY NORTHWEST SHORES
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Heavy Rain
- Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Avalanche in Colorado, February 24, 2002
- Winter Storm in Minnesota, February 24, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, February 24 to 25, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, February 24, 2002
- Winter Storm in Colorado, February 24 to 25, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, February 24, 2002
- High Wind in Alaska, February 24, 2002
- Wildfire in Delaware, February 24, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, February 24, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Montana, February 24, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Montana, February 24, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Montana, February 24, 2002
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, February 2002
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: 5281089.