Heavy Rain, Honolulu
- When
- December 30, 5:50 PM HST to 8:45 PM HST
- Where
- Honolulu County, Countywide
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain in Hawaii, December 30, 2003
Heavy rain and showers caused ponding of roadways, and minor stream and drainage ditch flooding across the island of Oahu. 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 rain and showers caused ponding of roadways, and minor stream and drainage ditch flooding across the island of Oahu. 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 Dec 30, 4:00 PM HST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 30, 4:00 PM HST, 1 hour 50 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 4 PM HST TUE DEC 30 2003 .SYNOPSIS... THE KONA LOW SOUTHWEST OF THE ISLANDS IS NEARLY STATIONARY WITH ITS LARGE CLOUD SHIELD COVERING THE ISLANDS. THE CLOUDS WILL BASICALLY REMAIN WHERE THEY ARE NOW FOR THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. THUS EXPECT MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS. WINDS WILL BE MOSTLY LIGHT EASTERLY TRADE WINDS OR SOUTHEASTERLIES. && .DISCUSSION... SATELLITE DATA SHOW OUR KONA LOW HAS BECOME NEARLY STATIONARY TO THE WSW OF KAUAI. THE PRECIPITATION SHIELD AROUND THE EAST SIDE OF THE LOW HAS RETREATED A BIT WESTWARD BUT IS NOW AGAIN NEARLY STATIONARY WITH CLOUDS AND SHOWERS MOVING UP ACROSS THE STATE FROM THE SOUTH. THESE SHOWERS ARE AFFECTING MAINLY THE WESTERN END OF THE CHAIN...NAMELY KAUAI AND NIIHAU. MEANWHILE TROUGHING COMING OUT OF A BIFURCATION IN THE UPPER JET STREAM JUST WEST OF THE DATELINE NEAR 35N IS DIGGING SOUTHEASTWARD TOWARD HAWAII. THE SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW IN THIS TROUGH WILL GRAB HOLD OF THE KONA LOW IN ABOUT 12 TO 24 HOURS AND LIFT IT NE AND N ALONG 160W WITH THE CENTER PASSING CLOSE TO KAUAI IN 24 TO 36 HOURS. THIS WILL MEAN THAT THE CLOUD SHIELD ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE LOW WILL COME BACK A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE CENTER OF THE ISLAND CHAIN ONCE MORE FOR AN INCREASE IN SHOWERS AGAIN AT LEAST OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE STATE. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL LINGER IN OUR AREA FOR LIGHT SURFACE WINDS MOSTLY OUT OF THE SOUTH AND WEST AND A CONTINUED THREAT OF SHOWERS FOR A FEW MORE DAYS. NOT TILL ABOUT JANUARY 5TH DO WE SEE A HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM WITH TRADES COMING INTO THE AREA NORTH OF HAWAII... AND EVEN THAT MAY BE FOR A STAY OF RATHER SHORT DURATION. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING...MAUNA KEA AND MAUNA LOA CHANGED TO WATCH. HIGH SURF ADVISORY...EAST FACING SHORES OF ALL ISLANDS && ROSENDAL
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
- Strong Wind in Pennsylvania, December 30, 2003
- High Wind in Colorado, December 30, 2003
- Winter Storm in Oregon, December 30 to 31, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Alaska, December 30 to 31, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Alaska, December 30, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Nevada, December 30, 2003
- Winter Storm in Washington, December 30 to 31, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Montana, December 30, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Montana, December 30, 2003
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, December 2003
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: 5328010.