Heavy Rain in Hawaii, January 1, 2005

Name: Heavy Rain in Hawaii, January 1, 2005
Start: 2005-01-01T15:30
End: 2005-01-01T18:30
Location: Hawaii

January 1, 2005 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Heavy showers produced small stream and drainage ditch flooding, and ponding of roadways in central and eastern sections of Molokai. 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

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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 produced small stream and drainage ditch flooding, and ponding of roadways in central and eastern sections of Molokai. 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, 9:03 AM HST, 6 hours 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 1, 9:03 AM HST, 6 hours 27 minutes before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
903 AM HST SAT JAN 1 2005

.SYNOPSIS...
A COLD FRONT APPROACHING THE ISLANDS IS EXPECTED TO REACH KAUAI THIS
EVENING...THEN WEAKENS AND ADVANCES ACROSS REST OF THE STATE THROUGH
SUNDAY. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL CONTINUE
TO AFFECT KAUAI AND OAHU...SPREADING EAST TO MAUI COUNTY LATER
TODAY. DRIER AIR SPREADS OVER THE ISLANDS ON WEST WINDS AFTER THE
FRONT COMES THROUGH. A WEAK HIGH PRESSURE IS STILL EXPECTED TO
REBUILD NORTH OF THE ISLANDS BY THE LATER PART OF NEXT WEEK...WITH
LIGHT TRADESS FINALLY RETURNING.

&&

.UPDATE...
HAVE UPDATED THE GRIDS TO REFLECT STRONGER WINDS AND GUSTS...
PARTICULARLY FOR KAUAI AND OAHU. SURFACE OBSERVATIONS INDICATE
GRADIENT WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 30 KT. PHLI REPORTED A PEAK WIND
OF 41 KT...PROBABLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WHICH
PASSED JUST OFFSHORE. WE HAVE ISSUED SPECIAL MARINE WARNINGS AND
SHORT TERM FORECASTS ON THE LINE OF STORMS OVER AND NEAR KAUAI.

ALSO UPDATED THE GRIDS EARLIER TO REFLECT A BIT FASTER ONSET OF RAIN
ON OAHU. NO CHANGES TO THE REST OF THE FORECAST AT THIS TIME.
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FROM 4 AM FOLLOWS.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
ONCE AGAIN THE COMPLEX SYSTEM OF FRONT AND WEAK LOWS WEST OF THE
ISLANDS IS MAKING THE FORECAST OVER OUR AREA DIFFICULT. NOT TOO SURE
IF THE FORECAST CHARTS GET THE TIMING RIGHT AS THE NEW SOLUTION ONCE
AGAIN DELAYED THE ARRIVAL OF THE FRONT WEST OF OUR AREA. ON THE
OTHER HAND...THE FORECAST SOLUTION IS NOT SHOWING ANYTHING THAT IS
REALLY OFF THE MARK. THUS HAVE ADJUSTED THE FORECAST PACKAGE
ACCORDINGLY AND SEE HOW THIS PLAYS OUT.

LOOKS LIKE KAUAI AND NIIHAU ARE STILL PRIME FOR FLOODING...AS WAVES
OF RAIN CLOUDS WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS PASS THROUGH THE ISLANDS.
RAINFALL TOTALS HAVE NOT BEEN THAT SIGNIFICANT IN THE PAST 6
HOURS...THOUGH IT DOES NOT TAKE MUCH TO RESULT IN FLOODING SINCE THE
GROUND IS ALREADY PRETTY SOAKED. OAHU...ON THE OTHER HAND...
CONTINUES TO BE PROBLEMATIC. WIDESPREAD RAIN HAS SO FAR ELUDED THE
ISLAND AND IT LOOKS LIKE SUCH TREND CONTINUES. DO BELIEVE
EVENTUALLY THE RAINBANDS THAT ARE AFFECTING KAUAI SHOULD SHIFT EAST
ENOUGH FOR OAHU TO HAVE ITS SHARE. QUESTION IS WHEN. THE FORECAST
CHARTS NOW SUGGEST IN THE AFTERNOON...WHICH IS REASONABLE. IN
FACT...RAIN BANDS MAY LINGER OVER THE CENTRAL ISLANDS TONIGHT...AS
THE FRONT WEST OF THE ISLANDS FINALLY ADVANCES TO KAUAI THIS
EVENING. LOOKS LIKE BY THEN MOST OF THE DYNAMICS WILL BE LIFTING
NORTH SO PRECIPITATION AMOUNT WILL BE LESS AS WELL AS DECREASING
CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PUSH THROUGH THE
REST OF THE ISLAND CHAIN BY LATE SUNDAY AND THE ISLANDS WILL BE
UNDER A COOL NORTHWESTERLY FLOW AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM LINGERS FAR
NORTH OF OUR AREA THROUGH THE EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK. FORECAST
CHARTS ARE AT LEAST CONSISTENT IN BRINGING A WEAK HIGH PRESSURE
NORTH OF THE ISLANDS BY LATER PART OF NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL RESULT IN
THE RETURN OF LIGHT TRADE WINDS.

&&

.MARINE...
THE NEXT LARGE NORTHWEST SWELL IS STILL EXPECTED ON SUNDAY...WITH
SURF RISING TO ADVISORY LEVELS...AND POSSIBLY WARNING LEVELS BY
MONDAY.

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FLASH FLOOD WATCH NIIHAU KAUAI AND OAHU TODAY.

&&

R BALLARD

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 1, 10:21 AM HST, 5 hours 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1021 AM HST SAT JAN 01 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0440 AM     FLOOD            WAILUA                  22.06N 159.34W
01/01/2005                   KAUAI              HI   PUBLIC

            NONO ROAD WAILUA HOUSE LOTS WASH WAS NEAR TO OVERFLOWING.

0535 AM     FLOOD            PORT ALLEN              21.90N 159.59W
01/01/2005                   KAUAI              HI   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            LANDSLIDE HANAPEPE, HEAVY PONDING KOLOA RD. STREAM
            OVERFLOWING.

0615 AM     FLOOD            2 NE PORT ALLEN         21.92N 159.57W
01/01/2005                   KAUAI              HI   PUBLIC

            HANALEI BRIDGE CLOSED.

0758 AM     FLASH FLOOD      KALAHEO                 21.92N 159.53W
01/01/2005                   KAUAI              HI   NWS EMPLOYEE

            KALAHEO BRIDGE CLOSED, WATER, BOULDERS

0800 AM     FLOOD            LIHUE                   21.98N 159.35W
01/01/2005                   KAUAI              HI   PUBLIC

            FLOODING ON RICE STREET DOWNTOWN LIHUE, FLOWING WATER ONE
            FOOT DEEP.

0845 AM     HEAVY RAIN       4 E HANAPEPE            21.91N 159.52W
01/01/2005  0.00 INCH        KAUAI              HI   TRAINED SPOTTER

            4.10 INCHES IN 24 HOURS / 2.05 INCHES IN LAST 2 HOURS.

&&

MF

Local storm report, Jan 1, 10:48 AM HST, 4 hours 42 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1048 AM HST SAT JAN 01 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0930 AM     FLASH FLOOD      2 SE LIHUE              21.95N 159.33W
01/01/2005                   KAUAI              HI   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            NAWILIWILI MARIOTT HOTEL SIGNIFICANT MUDSLIDES.

0930 AM     FLASH FLOOD      2 NW WAILUA             22.08N 159.36W
01/01/2005                   KAUAI              HI   PUBLIC

            KAMALU ROAD UNPASSABLE

0932 AM     FLOOD            WAILUA                  22.06N 159.34W
01/01/2005                   KAUAI              HI   PUBLIC

            WAILUA RIVER RUNOFF, DEBRIS AT MOUTH OF RIVER, NOT
            FLOODED ACROSS THE BRIDGE

0940 AM     FLOOD            WAIMEA                  21.96N 159.68W
01/01/2005                   KAUAI              HI   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            KAUAI CD EVACUATING HOMES IN WAIMEA. DEBRIS ON ROADS AND
            WATER ENTERING SOME GARAGES.

0940 AM     FLOOD            LIHUE                   21.98N 159.35W
01/01/2005                   KAUAI              HI   PUBLIC

            PORTIONS OF KUHIO HWY FLOODED BETWEEN LIHUE AND WAIMEA

&&

MF

Local storm report, Jan 1, 12:07 PM HST, 3 hours 23 minutes before

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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 1, 3:30 PM HST to 6:30 PM HST
Where: Maui County, Kalaupapa
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

Every storm in Hawaii in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5436305.