Heavy Rain in Hawaii, December 7, 2005

Name: Heavy Rain in Hawaii, December 7, 2005
Start: 2005-12-07T07:19
End: 2005-12-07T12:50
Location: Hawaii

December 7, 2005 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms produced small stream and drainage ditch flooding, and ponding of roadways over northern and eastern parts of the Big Island of Hawaii. Also, a lightning strike in the Puna District cut power to most of the isle from 0830 to 0900 on the 7th.

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.

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 7, 5:20 AM HST, 1 hour 59 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 7, 5:20 AM HST, 1 hour 59 minutes before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
520 AM HST WED DEC 7 2005

.SYNOPSIS...
TRADE WINDS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THIS WEEK...DUE TO A HIGH PRESSURE
RIDGE TO THE NORTH. CLOUDS AND SHOWERS WILL FAVOR THE WINDWARD AND
MAUKA SECTIONS. A TROUGH ALOFT WILL PRODUCE ENHANCED TRADEWIND
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER PORTIONS OF THE BIG ISLAND
TODAY.

&&

.UPDATE...
WATER VAPOR IMAGERY INDICATES A SMALL VORTICITY MAX FORMING ALONG
THE AXIS OF THE TROUGH ALOFT OVER THE BIG ISLAND. THE LOCATION OF
THIS VORT MAX IS ALMOST DIRECTLY OVER THE WINDWARD COAST OF THE BIG
ISLAND. WITH ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND AN UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE
ALREADY IN PLACE...HAVE DECIDED TO GO AHEAD AND ISSUE A FLASH FLOOD
WATCH FOR THE BIG ISLAND THROUGH 8 PM THIS EVENING. THROUGH THE
MORNING HOURS...THE AREA OF CONCERN WILL BE THE WINDWARD
COAST...WHERE SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALREADY
OCCURRING. THE FOCUS WILL SPREAD TO THE LEEWARD AREAS BY THE
AFTERNOON AS THE SUN BEGINS TO HEAT THE LAND SURFACE UP. AS DERIVED
FROM THE HILO SOUNDING...THE CONVECTIVE AND TRIGGER TEMPERATURE IS
AROUND 75 DEGREES...WHICH WILL NOT BE HARD TO REACH OVER LEEWARD
SLOPES.

.DISCUSSION...
NOT SO LUCKY IF YOU LIVE IN HONOKAA THIS MORNING UNLESS YOU HAPPEN
TO LIKE RAIN. REMNANT MOISTURE FROM A DISSIPATED FRONT EAST OF THE
ISLANDS IS NOW BEING CARRIED BACK TOWARD THE STATE IN THE TRADE WIND
FLOW. THIS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE...ALONG WITH A TROUGH ALOFT OVER THE
BIG ISLAND IS HELPING TO FUEL ENHANCED TRADEWIND SHOWERS UP AND DOWN
THE HILO COAST. SINCE SHORTLY AFTER NIGHTFALL...A STEADY STREAM OF
SHOWERS HAS AFFECTED THIS AREA...WITH HONOKAA TOPPING THE LIST. FOR
THE SIX HOUR PERIOD ENDING AT 2 AM HST...THE HONOKAA GAGE MEASURED
OVER TWO INCHES. ROUNDING OFF THE TOP THREE IS PIIHONUA AND WAIAKEA
UKA WITH 1.34 AND .09 INCHES...RESPECTIVELY. NWS STAFF AT THE HILO
OFFICE OBSERVED LIGHTNING AND HEARD THUNDER IN THE
DISTANCE...VERIFYING RADAR AND SATELLITE ANALYSES...SO WILL ADD
THUNDERSTORMS TO THE HILO COAST FORECAST TODAY. EARLY MORNING
SOUNDING OVER HILO DEFINITELY SUPPORTS ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT...SO WILL ADD MENTION OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER OTHER
PORTIONS OF THE BIG ISLAND THIS AFTERNOON AS SURFACE HEATING BEGINS
TO TAKE EFFECT. THE TROUGH ALOFT WILL REMAIN OVER THE BIG ISLAND
UNTIL TONIGHT...BEFORE BEING NUDGED EAST OF STATE STARTING TOMORROW.
THE SMALLER ISLANDS ARE FARING MUCH BETTER THIS MORNING...WITH
SCATTERED SHOWERS AT BEST OVER WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS. AS THE
TROUGH IS SHARP AND NARROW...BELIEVE ITS EFFECTS WILL BE MOSTLY FELT
ON THE BIG ISLAND TODAY. THAT SAID EXPECT MORE TYPICAL TRADEWIND
SHOWERS FAVORING THE USUAL WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS OF THE SMALLER
ISLANDS TODAY.

HIGH PRESSURE NORTH OF THE STATE WILL MAINTAIN TRADES THROUGHOUT THE
FORECAST PERIOD. STARTING TOMORROW...A RIDGE BUILDING EASTWARD ALOFT
WILL NUDGE THE TROUGH AWAY FROM THE ISLANDS AND STABILIZING THE
ATMOSPHERE....SO ANTICIPATE TRADES AND THE TYPICAL DISTRIBUTION OF
CLOUDS AND SHOWERS OVER WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS FROM THURSDAY ON.
UNTIL THEN...WE WILL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE BIG ISLAND.

&&

.MARINE...
THE NEXT NORTHWEST SWELL IS EXPECTED LATE THURSDAY. SURF SHOULD
APPROACH THE 25 FOOT WARNING LEVEL CRITERIA FRIDAY...AND THEN SLOWLY
SUBSIDE OVER THE WEEKEND.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE BIG ISLAND THROUGH 8 PM HST.

&&

TANABE

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, Hawaii

When: December 7, 7:19 AM HST to 12:50 PM HST
Where: Hawaii County, Hawi
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 19.602, -155.523 (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

Every storm in Hawaii in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, December 2005

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: 5484732.