Heavy Rain, Honolulu
- When
- March 7, 4:20 AM HST to 10:10 AM HST
- Where
- Honolulu County, Hauula
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain in Hawaii, March 7, 2002
Heavy showers produced minor drainage ditch and stream flooding and ponding of roadways in windward parts of Oahu. However, no serious injuries or property damage were reported.
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 produced minor drainage ditch and stream flooding and ponding of roadways in windward parts of Oahu. 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 Mar 7, 4:00 AM HST, 20 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 7, 4:00 AM HST, 20 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 4 AM HST THU MAR 7 2002 SUMMARY...THE AIRMASS REMAINS FAVORABLE FOR ISOLATED HEAVY SHOWERS THROUGH AT LEAST THIS MORNING ALTHOUGH THE BIG ISLAND MAY SEE LESS SHOWERS BY THIS AFTERNOON. A SHEARLINE IS EXPECTED TO SKIM THE ISLANDS FRIDAY AND CAUSE A FEW SHOWERS MAINLY OVER THE WINDWARD AND MOUNTAIN AREAS OF ALL ISLANDS. THE AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE FOLLOWING THE SHEARLINE WILL USHER IN FRESH TRADES WITH SPEEDS REACHING 20 MPH. DISCUSSION...WEATHER BALLON SOUNDING FROM LIHUE AND HILO INDICATES AN UNSTABLE AIRMASS ALTHO NOT ENOUGH TO SUPPORT THUNDERSTORMS. THAT IS WHY ISOLATED HEAVY SHOWERS PERSISTED THROUGH THE NIGHT OVER ON WINDWARD SECTIONS/MOUNTAIN AREAS OF KAUAI OAHU AND THE BIG ISLAND. THE TOPS OF THESE SHOWERS WERE IN THE 10 TO 15 THOUSAND FOOT RANGE. THESE SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO TAPER OFF TOWARDS MID AND LATE MORNING. BY THIS AFTERNOON...THE AVN SUGGEST THAT THE AIRMASS OVER THE BIG ISLAND TO BECOME MORE STABLE WHILE KAUAI REMAINS THE FAVORABLE FOR ISOLATED HEAVY SHOWERS. WITH THIS IN MIND...ANOTHER FACTOR COMES INTO PLAY IN DETERMINING HOW MUCH SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND THE INTENSITY OF THEM. THE CIRRUS CLOUDS ALREADY IN OUR AREA MAY BECOME DENSER BY THIS AFTERNOON SO THAT IT WILL LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF SHOWERS AND THEIR INTENSITY. MY DECISION IS FOR KEEPING THE CHANCE FOR ISOLATED HEAVY SHOWERS FOR KAUAI AND OAHU. SOME OF THESE SHOWERS WILL LIKELY LINGER INTO TONIGHTS PERIOD. THE APPROACHING SHEARLINE WILL RESULT IN A LIGHT TO MODERATE EAST TO SOUTHEAST WIND FLOW ACROSS THE STATE TODAY. TRADES OF 10 TO 20 MPH WILL RETURN SOME TIME FRIDAY...MORE THAN LIKELY DURING THE THE AFTERNOON. LAU .HFO...WARNINGS.....NONE . WATCHES......NONE . ADVISORIES...NONE
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
- Winter Storm in Utah, March 7 to 8, 2002
- Winter Storm in Nevada, March 7, 2002
- Damaging Wind and High Wind in California, March 7 to 8, 2002
- Ice Storm and Winter Storm in Wisconsin, March 7 to 8, 2002
- Winter Storm in Colorado, March 7 to 8, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, March 7 to 8, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, March 7 to 8, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Washington, March 7 to 8, 2002
- Winter Storm in Montana, March 7, 2002
- Hail in Missouri, March 7, 2002
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, March 7 to 9, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, March 7 to 8, 2002
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, March 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: 5287329.