Flash Flood, Honolulu
- When
- February 27, 10:00 AM HST to 8:00 PM HST
- Where
- Honolulu County, Countywide
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in Hawaii, February 27, 2004
Heavy showers, rain, and thunderstorms with a cold front caused flooding over a good portion of the island of Oahu. Newspaper reports indicated problems from Waianae and Nanakuli in the west, to Mililani and Wahiawa in the central area, to Waikane and Kailua in the windward section, and to Honolulu and Hawaii Kai in the east.
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, rain, and thunderstorms with a cold front caused flooding over a good portion of the island of Oahu. Newspaper reports indicated problems from Waianae and Nanakuli in the west, to Mililani and Wahiawa in the central area, to Waikane and Kailua in the windward section, and to Honolulu and Hawaii Kai in the east. The rain produced flash flooding and mudslides that closed roadways, and damaged homes and businesses. The stormy weather was also responsible for several power outages across the isle. No serious injuries were reported. Cost of damages was not 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 Feb 27, 10:00 AM HST, 0 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 27, 10:00 AM HST, 0 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 10 AM HST FRI FEB 27 2004 .SYNOPSIS... STRONG WINDS...HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS NOW AFFECTING KAUAI AND OAHU WILL SPREAD TO MAUI COUNTY THIS AFTERNOON AND TO THE BIG ISLAND TONIGHT. A COLD FRONT...STILL WEST OF KAUAI THIS MORNING... WILL MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS THE STATE THROUGH SATURDAY. COOL... UNSTABLE AIR BEHIND THE FRONT WILL KEEP ISOLATED HEAVY SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE ISLANDS SATURDAY...BUT MORE SUNSHINE ALONG WITH LIGHT WINDS WILL MAKE FOR A BETTER SUNDAY. && .DISCUSSION... A COLD FRONT STILL WEST OF KAUAI IS MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 20 MPH. THE FRONT HAS HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN BANDS TO ITS EAST. THESE BANDS DROPPED AS MUCH AS 9 INCHES OF RAINFALL ON THE ISLAND OF KAUAI OVERNIGHT...AND ARE EXPECTED TO BRING 2 TO 6 INCHES OF RAINFALL TO OAHU TODAY AS THEY MOVE THROUGH. THE HEAVY RAIN WILL MOVE OVER MAUI COUNTY THIS AFTERNOON...REACHING THE BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII TONIGHT. THE FRONT AND ASSOCIATED HEAVY RAIN BANDS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM NOW NORTH OF THE STATE. THE LOW IS EXPECTED TO MOVE SLOWLY OVER THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS...AS THE UPPER LOW ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM DOES A LOOP NORTH OF THE STATE...THEN MOVE OFF TOWARD THE NORTH NORTHEAST. THE UPPER LOW WILL CONTINUE INSTABILITY OVER THE ISLANDS ON SATURDAY... BUT MORE STABLE CONDITIONS WILL REPLACE THE WET WEATHER BEGINNING ON SUNDAY AS THE SURFACE AND UPPER LEVEL LOWS MOVE NORTH NORTHEAST AND AWAY FROM THE STATE. && .MARINE... A NORTHWEST SWELL GENERATED BY A LARGE LOW NEAR THE KAMCHATKA PENINSULA WILL RESULT IN RISING SURF TO WARNING LEVELS TODAY. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY KAUAI...OAHU...MOLOKAI...LANAI AND MAUI FLOOD WATCH TODAY KAUAI...OAHU...MOLOKAI...LANAI AND MAUI HIGH WIND WATCH THROUGH SATURDAY BIG ISLAND SUMMITS HIGH SURF WARNING NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES OF KAUAI...OAHU... MOLOKAI AND MAUI HIGH SURF ADVISORY WEST FACING SHORES OF THE BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII FARRELL
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
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
- High Surf in Hawaii, February 27 to 29, 2004
- Damaging Wind in Hawaii, February 27, 2004
- Winter Storm in Colorado, February 27 to 28, 2004
- Debris Flow in American Samoa, February 27, 2004
- Winter Storm in Colorado, February 27 to 29, 2004
- Winter Weather in Colorado, February 27 to 29, 2004
- High Wind in Hawaii, February 27 to 28, 2004
- Storm Surge and High Wind in North Carolina, February 27, 2004
- Winter Storm in Utah, February 27 to 29, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Nevada, February 27, 2004
- Dense Fog in Wisconsin, February 27, 2004
- Flash Flood in Hawaii, February 27, 2004
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, February 2004
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: 5431060.