Flash Flood, Hawaii
- When
- March 9, 6:00 AM HST to 3:44 PM HST
- Where
- Hawaii County, Laupahoehoe
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 19.983, -155.233
Flash Flood in Hawaii, March 9, 2006
Heavy rain in eastern parts of the Big Island of Hawaii caused heavy ponding along parts of Bayfront Highway and Kamehameha Avenue in Hilo, closing the roadways for a time. No serious injuries or property damage were reported.
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.
Heavy rain in eastern parts of the Big Island of Hawaii caused heavy ponding along parts of Bayfront Highway and Kamehameha Avenue in Hilo, closing the roadways for a time. 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 Mar 9, 4:00 AM HST, 2 hours earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 9, 4:00 AM HST, 2 hours before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
400 AM HST THU MAR 9 2006
.SYNOPSIS...
THE THREAT OF HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY FRIDAY AS
DEEP TROPICAL MOISTURE BROUGHT NORTHWARD BY A LOW WEST OF THE
ISLANDS FUELS SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. EAST SOUTHEAST
WINDS WILL GRADUALLY BECOME EAST NORTHEAST TRADES BY SUNDAY AS THE
LOW MOVES AWAY...STARTING A PERIOD OF DRIER WEATHER WHICH WILL LAST
THROUGH THE REST OF THE FORECAST PERIOD.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
A 400 MILE WIDE CHANNEL OF DEEP TROPICAL MOISTURE EVIDENT IN WATER
VAPOR LOOPS IS DRIFTING EASTWARD ACROSS THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
THIS MORNING...FUELING A WIDE COLLECTION OF HEAVY SHOWERS AND
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS FROM SOUTHEAST PORTIONS OF THE BIG ISLAND TO
KAUAI NORTHWEST WATERS. A DEEP LOW NEAR 31N174W...NORTHWEST OF THE
MAIN ISLANDS...IS LIFTING NORTHWARD BUT HAS IMPINGED ON HIGH
PRESSURE TO OUR EAST SUFFICIENTLY TO INDUCE WET SOUTHEAST FLOW
ACROSS THE ISLANDS AND SURROUNDING WATERS. MORNING SOUNDINGS SHOW
ASSOCIATED INSTABILITY IS NOT THAT IMPRESSIVE...BUT OBVIOUSLY ENOUGH
TO TRIGGER LOTS OF DEEP CONVECTION. CAPE IS LOW...BELOW 600 J/KG AT
LIHUE...BUT PRECIPITABLE WATER IS APPROACHING 2 INCHES. WITH THIS
RAINFALL EVENT...IT IS THE AMOUNT OF AVAILABLE MOISTURE THAT MATTERS
MOST. THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL HAS OCCURRED ON WINDWARD OAHU AND
SOUTHEAST PORTIONS OF THE BIG ISLAND...WHERE SOUTHEAST FLOW TRAPS
SHOWERS AGAINST FAVORABLE TERRAIN. MOUNTAIN VIEW ON THE BIG ISLAND
HAS RECEIVED ALMOST 4 INCHES OF RAINFALL IN THE LAST SIX
HOURS...WHILE RADAR-DERIVED AMOUNTS NEAR 6 INCHES ARE NOTED NEAR
HAUULA ON WINDWARD OAHU FOR THE SAME PERIOD.
LATEST GFS75 SHOWS THE LOW WEST OF THE ISLANDS LIFTING NORTHWARD
RAPIDLY OVER THE NEXT 48 HOURS. HOWEVER...THE TROUGH EXTENDING SOUTH
FROM THE LOW WILL BE SLOW TO FILL. LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL CONTINUE FROM
THE EAST SOUTHEAST THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. THE TROUGH SHOULD FILL
SUFFICIENTLY TO CUT OFF THE THREAT OF HEAVY RAINFALL BY LATE FRIDAY.
WE SHOULD BEGIN A PERIOD OF DRIER WEATHER SUNDAY WITH THE RETURNING
TRADES. WHILE NORTHEASTERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED FROM SUNDAY
ONWARD...LINGERING MOISTURE FROM THIS EVENT WILL PROBABLY KEEP
WINDWARD SIDES WETTER THAN USUAL UNTIL TUESDAY OR SO. DRIER TRADES
WILL DOMINATE AFTER THAT.
&&
.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FLASH FLOOD WATCH...ALL HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR STRONG WINDS BIG ISLAND SOUTHEAST...
WINDWARD OAHU AND MAUI COUNTY WATERS.
&&
POWELLThe 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
- Tornado and Hail in Arkansas, March 9, 2006
- Lightning Strike in Arkansas, March 9, 2006
- Strong Wind in Louisiana, March 9, 2006
- Damaging Winds in Mississippi, March 9, 2006
- Flash Flood in Missouri, March 9, 2006
- Flash Flood in Kentucky, March 9, 2006
- Avalanche and Heavy Snow in Utah, March 9 to 13, 2006
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, March 9, 2006
- Tornado and Hail in Mississippi, March 9, 2006
- Damaging Wind in Mississippi, March 9, 2006
- Tornado in Arkansas, March 9, 2006
- Damaging Winds and High Wind in Kentucky, March 9, 2006
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5495534.