Flash Flood, Hawaii
- When
- February 26, 4:00 AM HST to 7:00 AM HST
- Where
- Hawaii County, 2 mi WSW of Honokaa
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 19.602, -155.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in Hawaii, February 26, 2002
Flooding from heavy showers and thunderstorms closed a number of streets in northern and eastern parts of the Big Island of Hawaii. The most serious flooding occurred in the Hamakua District in Ahualoa, where up to six feet of water raged in a torrent across Puaaona and Kapuna roads.
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.
Flooding from heavy showers and thunderstorms closed a number of streets in northern and eastern parts of the Big Island of Hawaii. The most serious flooding occurred in the Hamakua District in Ahualoa, where up to six feet of water raged in a torrent across Puaaona and Kapuna roads. Many residents were stranded for several hours because streets were impassable. Rainfall also caused a landslide that closed one lane of the Hawaii Belt Road at Laupahoehoe Gulch for a time. In Kailua-Kona, trees fell on to power lines. No serious injuries 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 Feb 26, 4:00 AM HST, 0 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 26, 4:00 AM HST, 0 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
4 AM HST TUE FEB 26 2002
SUMMARY...BRISK TRADE WINDS WILL CONTINUE FOR ANOTHER DAY...THEN
DROP OFF THEREAFTER. UNSTABLE CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE
STATE...RESULTING IN HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER AND AROUND
THE BIG ISLAND.
DISCUSSION...NO CHANGE IN THE FORECAST. A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE NORTH
OF HAWAII WILL KEEP THE TRADES AT A BRISK 15 TO 30 MPH TODAY. THE
RIDGE WILL WEAKEN WEDNESDAY RESULTING IN A DROP IN WIND SPEED. AN
APPROACHING COLD FRONT...PRESENTLY WEST OF THE DATELINE...WILL ERODE
THE WEST END OF THE RIDGE LATER THIS WEEK RESULTING IN EVEN LIGHTER
WINDS OUT OF THE SOUTHEAST.
COLD TEMPERATURES ALOFT WILL CONTINUE TO DESTABILIZE THE ATMOSPHERE
OVER THE STATE. THE NE-SW UPPER LEVEL TROUGH CAUSING THE COLD AIR IS
SITUATED SUCH THAT THE BIG ISLAND WILL BE THE FAVORED PLACE FOR
HEAVY RAIN AND THUNDER. THE TROUGH IS SCHEDULED TO MOVE OFF TO THE
EAST WEDNESDAY ALLOWING AN UPPER RIDGE TO THE WEST TO MOVE OVERHEAD
BY FRIDAY. CRAIG.
.HFO.....WARNINGS.....NONE
GALE ALL CHANNELS
. WATCHES......NONE
. ADVISORIES...SMALL CRAFT COASTAL WATERSThe radar
The South Shore radar (PHWA), 57 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:00 UTC.
Event by event
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Extreme Cold in Georgia, February 26 to 28, 2002
- Winter Storm in Indiana, February 26 to 27, 2002
- Heavy Snow in North Carolina, February 26 to 27, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Illinois, February 26, 2002
- Heavy Snow in West Virginia, February 26 to 27, 2002
- Winter Storm in Indiana, February 26, 2002
- Winter Storm in Michigan, February 26 to 27, 2002
- High Wind in Alaska, February 26, 2002
- Strong Wind in Hawaii, February 26 to 27, 2002
- High Surf in Hawaii, February 26, 2002
- Heavy Rain in Hawaii, February 26, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Alaska, February 26, 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: 5281157.