Flash Flood in Hawaii, March 8, 2006

Name: Flash Flood in Hawaii, March 8, 2006
Start: 2006-03-08T19:00
End: 2006-03-08T23:31
Location: Hawaii

March 8, 2006 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Heavy rain and isolated thunderstorms produced flash flooding conditions in windward areas of Oahu. Several roads in and around the community of Hauula were closed by heavy ponding.

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: 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 rain and isolated thunderstorms produced flash flooding conditions in windward areas of Oahu. Several roads in and around the community of Hauula were closed by heavy ponding. Also, a few streams in the area overflowed their banks, most particularly the Maakua Stream. There were no reports of serious property damage or injuries.

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 8, 4:00 PM HST, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 8, 4:00 PM HST, 3 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
400 PM HST WED MAR 8 2006

INCLUDE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY TO DISCUSSION

.SYNOPSIS...
SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL BE INCREASING INTO THURSDAY STATEWIDE AS LOW
PRESSURE CONTINUES TO DEEPEN WEST OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. IT
LOOKS LIKE THURSDAY WILL BE A WET ONE ESPECIALLY THE ISLANDS OF
KAUAI...PARTS OF OAHU...AND EASTERN BIG ISLAND. THE WEATHER IS
EXPECTED TO START IMPROVING FRIDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE
AREA.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
NO CHANGE TO THE PHILOSOPHY TO THE FORECAST. STILL LOOKING AT
THURSDAY TO BE AN ACTIVE WEATHER DAY ESPECIALLY FOR THE ISLAND OF
KAUAI AND EASTERN BIG ISLAND. OAHU WILL GET ITS SHARE OF SHOWERS AS
WELL BUT HEAVY SHOWERS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE WIDESPREAD. WE WILL
SEE AND WE WILL MONITOR THE SITUATION CLOSELY SINCE THE WINDWARD
SIDE REMAINS SENSITIVE TO HEAVY RAINFALL.

THE POOL OF MOISTURE CONTINUES TO AFFECT THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE
BIG ISLAND FROM LAUPAHOEHOE TO PUNA DISTRICT TO SOUTH POINT.
ABUNDANT MOISTURE REMAINS JUST OFFSHORE OF THE BIG ISLAND AND WILL
BE SPREADING TO THE REMAINING ISLANDS TONIGHT AND THURSDAY. HAVE
DISHED OUT A FLOOD ADVISORY FOR THIS PART OF THE BIG ISLAND...UNTIL
430 PM BUT IS LIKELY TO BE RENEWED. INSTABILITY IS INCREASING
STATEWIDE AS WELL. DOPPLER RADAR HAS SHOWN AN INCREASE IN SHOWER
ACTIVITY SOUTH OF KAUAI...NIIHAU AND LATELY SOUTH OF LANAI. THESE
SHOWERS WILL BE MOVING IN WITH THE SOUTHEAST WIND FLOW THAT IS
EXPECTED TO LAST THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. AN IMPROVING TREND IS
SLATED FOR FRIDAY AS TRADES TRIES TO TAKE HOLD. WE SHOULD BE BACK IN
A TRADE WIND REGIME SATURDAY WITH THE NORMAL WINDWARD AND MAUKA
SHOWERS.

SETTING THE GRID WAS A CHALLENGING TASK. RESULTS WERE NOT ALL THAT
SATISFACTORY. SO I APOLOGIZE FOR THE DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN THIS
DISCUSSION AND THE GRIDS.

ALSO...THE SOUTHEAST WINDS ARE QUITE BRISK OVER THE WINDWARD WATERS
OF OAHU...MOLOKAI AND MAUI AND SOUTHEAST BIG ISLAND...RESULTING IN
A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY.

&&
.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY DUE TO WIND
BIG ISLAND SOUTHEAST...WINDWARD WATERS OAHU AND MAUI COUNTY
&&

LAU

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, Honolulu

When: March 8, 7:00 PM HST to 11:31 PM HST
Where: Honolulu County, Kahuku
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 21.683, -157.950

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: 5495533.