Flash Flood in Hawaii, March 13 to 14, 2006

Name: Flash Flood in Hawaii, March 13 to 14, 2006
Start: 2006-03-13T21:50
End: 2006-03-14T10:05
Location: Hawaii

March 13 to 14, 2006 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A much more serious event occurred hours later, at about 0545 HST on the 14th. With the excessive rainfall, a breach occurred in the Kaloko Reservoir in the northeast section of Kauai.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 7
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.

Flash flooding initially occurred over northern and eastern parts of Kauai along Kuhio Highway, as heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms forced the Hanalei River over its banks near the Hanalei Bridge.A much more serious event occurred hours later, at about 0545 HST on the 14th. With the excessive rainfall, a breach occurred in the Kaloko Reservoir in the northeast section of Kauai. The water rushed downhill toward Kilauea Bay and cut a 100-yard swath in Kuhio Highway near the town of Kilauea. The deluge also swept away two homes occupied by seven individuals. All seven people were killed by the flood waters, including a 2-year-old boy. Property damage estimates were unavailable.

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 Mar 13, 9:15 PM HST, 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 13, 9:15 PM HST, 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
915 PM HST MON MAR 13 2006

.SYNOPSIS...
A WET PATTERN WITH A THREAT OF HEAVY RAINFALL LASTING THROUGH MOST
OF THE WEEK.

&&

.UPDATE...
HAVE UPDATED FORECAST FOR TONIGHT TO REMOVE THUNDERSTORMS ALL AREAS
AND REMOVE HEAVY RAINFALL WORDING FOR ISLANDS EAST OF OAHU. ALSO
LOWERED POPS FOR LEEWARD PORTIONS OF ISLANDS EAST OF OAHU.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
A LINE OF HEAVY SHOWERS IS CURRENTLY MOVING OVER KAUAI FROM THE
SOUTHEAST...HAVING CLIPPED OAHU WITH ITS WEAKER EASTERN PORTION A
LITTLE EARLIER. THE EARLIER FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR WINDWARD OAHU
WAS MORE BASED ON THE APPEARANCE OF TERRAIN ANCHORED ECHOES...BUT
THOSE HAVE SINCE DISSIPATED. WITH THE DEVELOPING SOUTHEAST
FLOW...HOWEVER...THESE TERRAIN ANCHORED ECHOES COULD REDEVELOP
AGAIN ANYTIME. THE LINE OF HEAVY RAIN APPEARS TO HAVE ITS ORIGINS
IN THE BIG ISLAND PLUME...HAVING BEEN BROUGHT NORTHWARD IN THE
RECENTLY DEVELOPED SOUTHEAST FLOW ALONG THE WESTERN END OF THE
ISLAND CHAIN. IMPRESSIVE 24 HOUR PRESSURE FALLS CONTINUE STATEWIDE
THIS EVENING...WITH THE GREATEST FALLS OF 3 TO 4 MB OCCURRING OVER
KAUAI AND OAHU. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A SHARP UPPER TROUGH WEST
THROUGH NORTH OF KAUAI...WITH A DIGGING SHORTWAVE NEAR 31M 169W.

THE SHORT WAVE TO THE NORTHWEST IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP INTO A CUT
OFF LOW THAT WILL DIG TOWARDS THE ISLANDS IN THE TUESDAY THROUGH
THURSDAY TIME FRAME...ENHANCING THE THREAT OF HEAVY RAINFALL. INTO
FRIDAY THIS CUT OFF WILL BEGIN TO MOVE NORTHEAST...AND WILL LIKELY
PROVIDE A BRIEF RESPITE FROM THE HEAVY RAIN. IN RESPONSE TO THIS
DIGGING CUT OFF LOW...MODELS DEVELOP A TROUGH WEST OF THE ISLANDS
AND MOVE IT EASTWARD OVER THE ISLAND CHAIN...WHICH WILL ACT TO BRING
A DEEP SOUTHERLY FLOW OVER ALL ISLANDS. GFS DEVELOPS AN ENTIRE
SERIES OF LOWS ALONG THIS TROUGH ALONG THE LONGITUDE OF THE ISLANDS
AROUND MIDWEEK...AND THE OTHER GLOBAL MODELS HAVE A SIMILAR FLAVOR
AS WELL. SO WHILE IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO PINPOINT WHEN AND WHERE
HEAVY RAINFALL WILL OCCUR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...IT IS NOT
DIFFICULT TO SAY THAT HEAVY RAINFALL WILL OCCUR...WHICH WILL LIKELY
LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. NO CHANGES THERE.

MODELS MOVE THE DEEP LAYER LOW EAST OF THE ISLANDS TOWARDS THE END
OF THE WEEK...ALLOWING A DRYING TREND AT THAT POINT...BUT LONGER
RANGE PROGS INDICATE ANOTHER CUT OFF LOW WILL DEVELOP NORTHWEST OF
THE ISLANDS BY THE END OF THE WEEKEND.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FLASH FLOOD WATCH...ALL ISLANDS THRU THURSDAY.

&&

BIRCHARD

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Kauai

When: March 13, 9:50 PM HST to March 14, 10:05 AM HST
Where: Kauai County, 4 mi WNW of Hanalei
Deaths: 7 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 22.217, -159.550

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Flash Flood, Kauai	2006-03-14	2	Male	In Water	Direct
Flash Flood, Kauai	2006-03-14	22	Female	In Water	Direct
Flash Flood, Kauai	2006-03-14	24	Female	In Water	Direct
Flash Flood, Kauai	2006-03-14	30	Male	In Water	Direct
Flash Flood, Kauai	2006-03-14	33	Male	In Water	Direct
Flash Flood, Kauai	2006-03-14	37	Male	In Water	Direct
Flash Flood, Kauai	2006-03-14	49	Male	In Water	Direct

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

Every storm in Hawaii in 2006 Every state in 2006 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, March 2006

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: 5495538.