Flash Flood in Hawaii, May 6, 2002

Name: Flash Flood in Hawaii, May 6, 2002
Start: 2002-05-06T20:15
End: 2002-05-06T22:05
Location: Hawaii

May 6, 2002 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Heavy showers and thunderstorms caused flash flooding in windward areas of Oahu. The heavy rain forced the closure of the Waikane Bridge for several hours.

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

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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 showers and thunderstorms caused flash flooding in windward areas of Oahu. The heavy rain forced the closure of the Waikane Bridge for several hours. Firefighters rescued seven people that were trapped in five different vehicles near the bridge. Water on Kamehameha Highway was up to a foot deep from Heeia to Kualoa Regional Park. Also, new road construction along the highway near Kahana Bay was damaged by flood waters, though no dollar estimates of the costs were available.

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 May 6, 4:01 PM HST, 4 hours 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 6, 4:01 PM HST, 4 hours 14 minutes before

NARRATIVE SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION FOR AMERICAN SAMOA AND THE INDEPENDENT
STATE OF SAMOA

TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...

SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES A WEAK CONVERGENCE LINE OVER OR JUST
SOUTHWEST OF THE ISLANDS THAT MOVED ACROSS THE ISLANDS EARLIER THIS
AFTERNOON. MOST OF THE CONVECTION WAS LOCATED NORTHWEST OF THE
ISLANDS. THE MAIN TROUGH IS LOCATED FAR TO THE SOUTH. THERE IS NOT
MUCH MOISTURE CAUGHT UP IN THE WEAK TRADES SO CONVECTION SHOULD BE
LIMITED THROUGH THE PERIOD.

AS A RESULT...EXPECT A GENERALLY PARTLY CLOUDY TO CLOUDY SKY WITH
ONLY LIMITED SHOWERS TONIGHT THROUGH TOMORROW.

THE SOUTH SWELL SHOULD REMAIN AROUND 9 FEET THROUGH THE PERIOD.

OUTLOOK FOR THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...

WEAK TRADES ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THRU THE PERIOD WITH LITTLE
CHANGE LIKELY FROM A GENERALLY PARTLY CLOUDY SKY WITH ONLY A SLIGHT
CHANCE FOR BRIEF SHOWERS.

NARRATIVE DISCUSSION FOR TUVALU...

TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY...TUVALU TIME...

SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES AN AREA OF CONVECTION MOVING ACROSS
TUVALU THIS AFTERNOON. THERE IS ALSO SOME MOISTURE CAUGHT UP IN THE
TRADE WIND FLOW OF 10 TO 15 KTS SO LITTLE CHANGE IS EXPECTED OVER
THE NEXT TWO DAYS.

AS A RESULT...EXPECT A PARTLY CLOUDY TO CLOUDY SKY THROUGH THE
PERIOD WITH A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY AN ISOLATED TSTM.  NO
ORGANIZED CONVECTION IS NOTED AT THIS TIME.

The radar

The Molokai radar (PHMO), 88 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:15 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Honolulu

When: May 6, 8:15 PM HST to 10:05 PM HST
Where: Honolulu County, Hauula
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

Every storm in Hawaii in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, May 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: 5288911.