Flash Flood, Maui
- When
- January 1, 2:00 PM HST to 4:45 PM HST
- Where
- Maui County, 17 mi E of Kaunakakai
- Reported by
- DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
- Coordinates
- 20.868, -156.617 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in Hawaii, January 1, 2004
Heavy showers, rain, and isolated thunderstorms forced the closure of Kamehameha V Highway near mile post 2 in East Molokai, near Waialua. However, there were no reports of serious injuries or property damage.
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 isolated thunderstorms forced the closure of Kamehameha V Highway near mile post 2 in East Molokai, near Waialua. However, there were no reports of serious injuries or property damage.
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 Jan 1, 10:00 AM HST, 4 hours earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 1, 10:00 AM HST, 4 hours before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 10 AM HST THU JAN 1 2004 .SYNOPSIS... A LOW PRESSURE TROUGH WEST OF THE ISLANDS WILL CAUSE CONSIDERABLE CLOUDINESS AND SHOWERS THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THE SHOWERS WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES. WINDS WILL BE FROM THE SOUTH...AND WILL BE LOCALLY GUSTY NEAR THE SHOWERS. DRIER TRADE WIND WEATHER WILL ARRIVE MONDAY AND TUESDAY. && .DISCUSSION... AN UPPER LEVEL LOW IS MOVING NORTH JUST NORTHWEST OF KAUAI...BEING KICKED OUT BY A LARGER TROUGH IN THE UPPER WESTERLIES. THE TROUGH BOTH AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT WILL HANG AROUND WEST OF HERE THROUGH THIS WEEKEND. MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL STAY OVER THE ISLANDS AS LONG AS THE TROUGH IS TO OUR WEST. CONVERGENCE WITHIN THE LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL RESULT IN THE FORMATION OF LINES OF HEAVY SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY THUNDERSTORMS. ONE SUCH LINE PASSED OVER KAUAI AND IS PRESENTLY OVER THE KAUAI CHANNEL. IT IS MOVING TO THE EAST AND WILL REACH OAHU AND PERHAPS MAUI COUNTY LATER TODAY. ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN WILL LIKELY FAVOR MAUI COUNTY AND THE BIG ISLAND AFTER TODAY AND THROUGH SUNDAY. DURING THIS PERIOD A LARGE WEAK LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BE SITUATED TO THE NORTH AND WINDS WILL BE SOUTHWESTERLY KONA WINDS. FINALLY...A SMALL HIGH WILL MOVE EAST AND BE CENTERED JUST NORTH OF HERE MONDAY AND TUESDAY. THIS WILL ALLOW THE ISLANDS TO DRY OUT AT LEAST FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. MORE KONA WINDS ARE THEN FORECAST LATE NEXT WEEK...THOUGH THERE SHOULD BE CONSIDERABLE SUNSHINE. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE && CRAIG
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
- Blizzard in Idaho, January 1 to 2, 2004
- Drought in Colorado, January 1 to 31, 2004
- Winter Storm in Montana, January 1 to 2, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, January 1 to 3, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, January 1 to 2, 2004
- Winter Storm in Montana, January 1 to 2, 2004
- Winter Storm in Colorado, January 1 to 4, 2004
- Blizzard and Heavy Snow in California, January 1 to 2, 2004
- Winter Storm in Utah, January 1 to 4, 2004
- Drought in Utah, January 1 to 31, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Washington, January 1 to 2, 2004
- Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Oregon, January 1, 2004
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, January 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: 5431665.