Hawaii, 2005

Heavy Rain in Hawaii, February 4, 2005

February 4, 2005 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms produced ponding of roadways, and small stream and drainage ditch flooding over most of Maui County; across Molokai, Lanai, and Maui. No serious property damage or injuries 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.

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  • Floods
  • Wind
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  • Cold
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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.

Heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms produced ponding of roadways, and small stream and drainage ditch flooding over most of Maui County; across Molokai, Lanai, and Maui. No serious property damage or injuries 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 Feb 3, 8:45 PM HST, 6 hours 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 3, 8:45 PM HST, 6 hours 42 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
845 PM HST THU FEB 3 2005

CORRECTED ISSUANCE TIME ABOVE

.SYNOPSIS...
A TROUGH OVER THE ISLANDS WILL SLOWLY WEAKEN THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
THE THREAT OF HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE FROM
MAUI TO THE BIG ISLAND DUE TO INSTABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE
TROUGH. CLOUD COVER AND THE LIKELIHOOD OF HEAVY SHOWERS WILL
GRADUALLY DECREASE AS THE TROUGH WEAKENS. WITH THE TROUGH
WEAKENING...TRADEWINDS HAVE SPREAD OVER THE ISLANDS FROM KAUAI TO
MAUI. WHEN THE TROUGH DISSIPATES...TRADE WINDS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH
NEXT WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
A STUBBORN TROUGH OVER THE ISLANDS BOTH AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT
CONTINUES TO PRODUCE SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THIS
EVENING...CONCENTRATED MAINLY OVER MAUI COUNTY AND THE BIG ISLAND.
OAHU AND KAUAI ARE FURTHEST REMOVED FROM THE ACTION AT THE
MOMENT...BUT NOT NECESSARILY OUT OF THE WOODS COMPLETELY. AT THE
MOMENT...THE HEAVIEST SHOWERS ARE FALLING ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST COAST
OF THE BIG ISLAND...BUT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOTED OVER AND
AROUND MAUI COUNTY AND THE BIG ISLAND. WILL UPDATE THE FORECAST TO
INCREASE SHOWERS ACROSS THE BIG ISLAND AND MAUI...AND EXPAND MENTION
OF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TO COVER MOLOKAI AND LANAI.

WINDS FROM KAUAI THROUGH MOLOKAI OR SO ARE FROM THE NORTHEAST...BUT
WITH TROUGH AXIS TO CLOSE BY...HAVE A HARD TIME CALLING THEM
TRADES. IN ANY CASE...EXPECT RAINFALL TO FAVOR WINDWARD AND MAUKA
SECTIONS FOR THE TIME BEING...ESPECIALLY FOR KAUAI AND OAHU.

CURRENT AREA COVERED BY THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS SUFFICIENT. MOLOKAI
AND LANAI..BEING RIGHT ON THE EDGE OF WHERE THE SHOWERS ARE
CONCENTRATED...MIGHT STILL SEE A FEW HEAVY SHOWERS AND/OR
THUNDERSTORMS OVERNIGHT.

THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS AND THE CURRENT SCENARIO HAVE BEEN A TOUGH
FORECAST THUS FAR...AND THE MODELS WE HAVE COME TO DEPEND UPON FOR
GUIDANCE HAVE LACKED RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY. WITH TRADES EARLIER
EXPECTED BY THE WEEKEND...IT NOW APPEARS THAT THE TROUGH WILL LINGER
OVER THE ISLANDS A BIT LONGER IN A WEAKENED STATE...RATHER THAN
DRIFT OFF TOWARD THE EAST. IN FACT...GFS IS NOW ADVERTISING THE
TROUGH TO SHIFT WESTWARD...ESSENTIALLY SHUTTING OFF THE TRADES OVER
THE WEEKEND. WITH AMPLE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AROUND...MIGHT BE IN FOR
A MUGGY COUPLE OF DAYS. AS SUCH...OUR DATE WITH THE TRADEWINDS IS
STILL UP IN THE AIR...BUT WE ARE CURRENTLY SHOOTING FOR EARLY NEXT
WEEK.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR MAUI KAHOOLAWE AND THE BIG ISLAND THROUGH
TONIGHT.

&&

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, Maui

When
February 4, 3:27 AM HST to 8:15 AM HST
Where
Maui County, Countywide
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 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, February 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: 5441532.