Hawaii, 2004

Heavy Rain in Hawaii, January 2 to 3, 2004

January 2 to 3, 2004 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Intermittent heavy rain, showers, and isolated thunderstorms caused ponding of roadways, and small stream and drainage ditch flooding on the island of Maui. Power outages were not uncommon as the inclement weather persisted for more than 24 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.

Intermittent heavy rain, showers, and isolated thunderstorms caused ponding of roadways, and small stream and drainage ditch flooding on the island of Maui. Power outages were not uncommon as the inclement weather persisted for more than 24 hours. 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 2, 4:00 PM HST, 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 2, 4:00 PM HST, 55 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
4 PM HST FRI JAN 2 2004

.SYNOPSIS...
ANOTHER ROUND OF HEAVY RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOSTLY AFFECT
OAHU MOLOKAI LANAI AND MAUI TONIGHT AND SATURDAY. DRYER TRADE WINDS
ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN EARLY NEXT WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
LOW PRESSURE TO THE NORTH AND WEST OF HAWAII WILL CONTINUE TO DRAW
MOISTURE LADENED AIR UP FROM THE SOUTH. AS THE AIR MOVES NORTH...IT
WILL CONVERGE ON THE MIDDLE ISLANDS FROM OAHU TO MAUI. KAUAI AND THE
BIG ISLAND ARE NOT ENTIRELY OUT OF THE WOODS HOWEVER AS THE FOCUS
CAN EASILY SHIFT TO THE EAST OR WEST WITH TIME. EVERYBODY SHOULD
THEREFORE REMAIN ALERT TO THE POSSIBILITY OF FLOODING.

THE LOW IS NOT MOVING SO THE THREAT OF HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODING WILL
STAY WITH ALL OF US THROUGH THE WEEKEND. COME MONDAY AND TUESDAY...
THE LOW WILL LIFT TO THE NORTH ALLOWING A SMALL HIGH TO SNEAK IN
FROM THE WEST. THE HIGH WILL END UP NORTH OF HERE...BUT NOT FOR
LONG. MODELS SHOW THE HIGH DISSIPATING WITH THE APPROACH AND PASSING
OF A COLD FRONT WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FLOOD WATCH...OAHU...MAUI...MOLOKAI...LANAI UNTIL 4 AM HST

&&

CRAIG

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Maui

When
January 2, 4:55 PM HST to January 3, 6:30 PM HST
Where
Maui County, Lahaina
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
20.868, -156.617 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

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: 5432242.