Flash Flood, Kauai
- When
- September 14, 6:20 PM HST to September 15, 4:30 AM HST
- Where
- Kauai County, 3 mi W of Hanalei
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 22.200, -159.550
Flash Flood in Hawaii, September 14 to 15, 2005
More than 10 inches of rain fell on some parts of northern Kauai, as heavy showers and thunderstorms pushed through the area. The Hanalei River Bridge was closed for a time because of flooding along the river.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. 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.
More than 10 inches of rain fell on some parts of northern Kauai, as heavy showers and thunderstorms pushed through the area. The Hanalei River Bridge was closed for a time because of flooding along the river. Many roadways became impassable because of deep ponding and/or small landslides. However, no serious injuries or property damage 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 Sep 14, 4:00 PM HST, 2 hours 20 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 14, 4:00 PM HST, 2 hours 20 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 400 PM HST WED SEP 14 2005 .SYNOPSIS...AN UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE BRIEFLY HEAVY SHOWERS WITHIN THE TRADE WIND FLOW THROUGH THURSDAY. MORE STABLE TRADE WIND WEATHER EXPECTED TO RETURN FRIDAY THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. SURF ALONG SOUTHERN SHORES WILL REMAIN ELEVATED THROUGH FRIDAY. && .DISCUSSION...AN UPPER TROUGH OVER THE REGION CONTINUES TO TRIGGER HEAVY SHOWERS OVER PORTIONS OF THE STATE THIS AFTERNOON. MOST HEAVY SHOWERS WERE LIMITED TO THE BIG ISLAND AND WINDWARD EAST MAUI... ALTHOUGH HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS RECENTLY DEVELOPED OVER THE UPPER SLOPES OF LEEWARD BIG ISLAND. THE THUNDERSTORMS AREA EXPECTED TO DISSIPATE THIS AFTERNOON...AND THE HEAVY SHOWERS WILL PERSIST INTO THE EVENING BEFORE TAPERING OFF. HEAVY SHOWERS MAY BECOME MORE ACTIVE TONIGHT OVER KAUAI...AND POSSIBLY OAHU...AS A SHORT WAVE ALOFT PASSES OVERHEAD. OTHERWISE...BRIEFLY SHOWERS WILL MAINLY MOVE ALONG A MODERATE TO FRESH TRADE WIND FLOW AND WILL AT TIMES SPREAD LEEWARD THROUGH TOMORROW. THE UPPER TROUGH WILL REMAIN OVER THE REGION THROUGH THURSDAY... ALLOWING TRADE WIND SHOWERS TO REMAIN BRIEFLY HEAVY OVER MAINLY WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS...AS WELL AS THE LEEWARD SLOPES OF THE BIG ISLAND IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ON FRIDAY THE UPPER TROUGH WILL DRIFT TO THE NORTHWEST...AND WEAK RIDGING WILL BUILD OVER THE STATE FROM THE EAST. THIS WILL BRING A SLIGHT INCREASE IN STABILITY AND REDUCE THE THREAT OF HEAVY SHOWERS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. MODERATE TO LOCALLY FRESH TRADE WINDS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS HIGH PRESSURE MEANDERS NORTH OF THE STATE. WINDS MAY SLACKEN A BIT EARLY NEXT WEEK AS THE HIGH MOVES OFF TO THE NORTHEAST. WE ARE ALSO WATCHING TROPICAL DEPRESSION TEN E...LOCATED ABOUT 1900 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF HILO. THE OFFICIAL FORECAST HAS THE SYSTEM STRENGTHENING INTO A TROPICAL STORM AND REACHING A POINT 600 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF HILO BY MONDAY MORNING. GIVEN THE UNCERTAINTY INVOLVED IN TRACK FORECASTING AT DAY FIVE...WE WILL HOLD OFF MAKING ANY CHANGES IN THE LOCAL FORECAST AT THIS TIME AND WILL MAINTAIN A TRADE WIND FORECAST. THIS SYSTEM WILL BE CLOSELY MONITORED AS IT APPROACHES THE REGION. && .MARINE...SURF ALONG SOUTH FACING SHORES WILL REMAIN ELEVATED AT THE 15 FOOT WARNING LEVEL INTO THURSDAY. CIVIL DEFENSE REPORTED MINOR INCIDENTS OF SURF WASHING ONTO ROADS NEAR LAWAI BEACH ON KAUAI AND IN NANAKULI ON OAHU...AS WELL AS WATER SPLASHING OVER THE SEA WALL AT ALII DRIVE IN KAILUA KONA. SURF IS EXPECTED TO SUBSIDE BELOW THE WARNING LEVEL ON THURSDAY...YET REMAIN ABOVE THE ADVISORY LEVEL OF 8 FEET INTO EARLY SATURDAY. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...LARGE OPEN OCEAN SWELLS SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...WINDS IN MAALAEA BAY HIGH SURF WARNING...SOUTH FACING SHORES && WROE
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
- Rip Current in Florida, September 14, 2005
- Hurricane in North Carolina, September 14 to 15, 2005
- Tornado and Hail in Texas, September 14, 2005
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, September 14 to 15, 2005
- High Surf in Hawaii, September 14 to 17, 2005
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, September 14, 2005
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, September 14, 2005
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Colorado, September 14, 2005
- Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, September 14, 2005
- Hail in Kansas, September 14, 2005
- Hail and Lightning Strike in Kansas, September 14, 2005
- Hail in Kansas, September 14, 2005
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, September 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: 5475575.