Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in Hawaii, December 24 to 27, 2010

Name: Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in Hawaii, December 24 to 27, 2010
Start: 2010-12-24T13:51
End: 2010-12-27T20:53
Location: Hawaii

December 24 to 27, 2010 · NWS HFO · 11 events in 4 counties and zones

A weather system west of the Aloha State triggered showers and thunderstorms across the islands. Flash flooding and heavy rain events were commonplace, as was the case earlier in the month.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 11

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.

A weather system west of the Aloha State triggered showers and thunderstorms across the islands. Flash flooding and heavy rain events were commonplace, as was the case earlier in the month. No serious injuries were reported. Damage estimates were not available.

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 Dec 24, 10:00 AM HST, 3 hours 51 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 24, 10:00 AM HST, 3 hours 51 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1000 AM HST FRI DEC 24 2010

.SYNOPSIS...
SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...THANKS
TO DAYTIME HEATING AND LOCAL SEA BREEZES. THIS PATTERN WILL REPEAT
ITSELF SATURDAY. LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS WILL BECOME LIGHT OUT OF
THE SOUTH SATURDAY IN ADVANCE OF A COLD FRONT APPROACHING THE
ISLANDS FROM THE WEST. AS THE FRONT NEARS...THE CHANCE OF HEAVY RAIN
WILL INCREASE...MAINLY OVER KAUAI AND OAHU SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH
TUESDAY.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
THE ATMOSPHERE OVER HAWAII REMAINS MOIST AND SLIGHTLY UNSTABLE...AND
WILL REMAIN SO THROUGH THIS WEEKEND. SATELLITE DERIVED PRECIPITABLE
WATER VALUES RANGE FROM 1.50 TO 2.00 INCHES...WHICH IS QUITE MOIST
COMPARED TO A NORMAL OF ABOUT 1.10 INCHES. DAYTIME HEATING MAY CAUSE
CLOUDS TO FORM AND SHOWERS TO FALL OVER INTERIOR SECTIONS OF THE
ISLANDS. ALSO...THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE
BIG ISLAND THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

A WEAK SURFACE HIGH WILL MOVE NORTHEAST OF THE STATE...CAUSING THE
EAST WINDS TO TURN OUT OF THE SOUTHEAST SATURDAY. THE WINDS WILL BE
LIGHT...SO LAND AND SEA BREEZES ARE LIKELY IN MANY LOCATIONS. THE
ABUNDANT MOISTURE MENTIONED ABOVE COMBINED WITH THE SEA BREEZES WILL
RESULT IN RANDOM SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY AFTERNOON...
SEPARATED BY MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES OVERNIGHT. A WEAK UPPER LEVEL RIDGE
OVER THE STATE SHOULD LIMIT THE SHOWERS FROM BEING HEAVY.

THE SOUTHEAST LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL STRENGTHEN AND TURN OUT OF THE
SOUTH IN ADVANCE OF A COLD FRONT APPROACHING THE STATE FROM THE WEST
LATE SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. THE SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL BRING EVEN MORE
TROPICAL MOISTURE UP OVER THE STATE. MODELS INDICATE THAT THE BEST
CHANCE OF HEAVY SHOWERS WILL BE OVER THE WEST END OF THE STATE
SUNDAY NIGHT...HENCE THE HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK. THE WET WEATHER IS THEN
FORECAST TO SPREAD OVER ALL ISLANDS THROUGHOUT THE UPCOMING WORKWEEK.

.MARINE...
WINDS WILL REMAIN BELOW SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CRITERIA THROUGHOUT THE
FORECAST PERIOD. SEAS MAY REACH THE ADVISORY CRITERIA OF 10 FEET IN
SOME ZONES ON SATURDAY DUE TO A MODERATE SIZE NORTH SWELL.

THE SWELL WILL LIKELY PUSH SURF HEIGHTS UP TO ADVISORY LEVELS ALONG
NORTH AND EAST FACING SHORES. THE SWELL WILL GRADUALLY LOWER SUNDAY
AND MONDAY. NO OTHER SIGNIFICANT SWELLS ARE EXPECTED.

&&

.AVIATION...
WEAK LOW LEVEL FLOW AND HIGH MOISTURE CONTENT WILL LEAD TO AFTERNOON
SEA BREEZES PRODUCING CLOUDS AND SHRA OVER THE ISLANDS. A WEAK UPPER
LOW NEAR 16N158W WILL PROVIDE ENOUGH INSTABILITY TO PRODUCE HEAVY
SHOWERS AND A CHANCE FOR A TS ON THE BIG ISLAND SLOPES...POSSIBLY
REQUIRING AN AIRMET FOR MT OBSC LATER IN THE DAY. A WEAK...THOUGH
STRENGTHENING...RIDGE ALOFT OVER THE SMALLER ISLANDS WILL LIMIT
AFTERNOON CONVECTION TO ISOL BUILD UPS. EXPECT CLEARING TREND DURING
THE EVENING AS SEA BREEZE DRIVEN CONVECTION DISSIPATES.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.

&&

CRAIG/WROE

The radar

The Molokai radar (PHMO), 92 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:48 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 heavy rain, 4 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Honolulu

When: December 24, 1:51 PM HST to 3:17 PM HST
Where: Honolulu County, 0.57 mi WNW of Punaluu to 1.46 mi SSE of Kaneohe
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 21.602, -157.909

Heavy Rain, Hawaii

When: December 24, 1:56 PM HST to 3:19 PM HST
Where: Hawaii County, 5.41 mi SW of Hilo to 2.65 mi WNW of Mountain View
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 19.669, -155.121

Heavy Rain, Honolulu

When: December 24, 4:51 PM HST to 8:07 PM HST
Where: Honolulu County, 2.35 mi E of Kawela Bay to 0.83 mi ENE of Kaaawa
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 21.705, -157.984

Heavy Rain, Hawaii

When: December 25, 4:36 PM HST to 6:25 PM HST
Where: Hawaii County, 5.66 mi NNE of Kailua Kona to 4.94 mi E of Honaunau National Pk
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 19.710, -155.962

Flash Flood, Maui

When: December 26, 12:55 AM HST to 5:47 AM HST
Where: Maui County, 1.03 mi NW of I Kihei to 1.01 mi NW of I Kihei
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 20.780, -156.462

Maui police close a portion of South Kihei Road because of flooding. Culverts and ditches were overflowing onto the street.

Heavy Rain, Kauai

When: December 26, 4:55 AM HST to 7:51 AM HST
Where: Kauai County, 1.53 mi E of Na Pali Coast Sp to 1.67 mi N of Kaawanui Village
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 22.176, -159.626

Flash Flood, Honolulu

When: December 26, 6:30 AM HST to 7:39 AM HST
Where: Honolulu County, 1.29 mi E of Waianae to 1.58 mi E of Waianae
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 21.448, -158.160

Heavy rain produced flooding along Puhawai Road in the Waianae Valley in West Oahu. Water was at least 18 inches deep along a 90-foot stretch of the road.

Heavy Rain, Honolulu

When: December 26, 7:45 AM HST to 10:40 AM HST
Where: Honolulu County, 2.52 mi SW of Mokuleia to 0.96 mi N of Hahaione Valley
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 21.558, -158.211

Heavy Rain, Maui

When: December 26, 12:28 PM HST to 1:04 PM HST
Where: Maui County, 0.69 mi N of Huelo to 0.12 mi ENE of Makawao
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 20.910, -156.228

Flash Flood, Kauai

When: December 27, 8:00 AM HST to 11:43 AM HST
Where: Kauai County, 0.62 mi SSE of Princeville to 0.71 mi SSE of Princeville
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 22.212, -159.476

Flooding rains caused the Hanalei River to flow over its banks along Kuhio Highway at the Hanalei Bridge.

Flash Flood, Honolulu

When: December 27, 6:48 PM HST to 8:53 PM HST
Where: Honolulu County, 1.18 mi NW of Barbers Pt Housing to 1.02 mi NNW of Barbers Pt Housing
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 21.334, -158.091

Heavy showers over leeward Oahu caused flooding at the Kalaeloa off-ramp of the H-1 Freeway. Two vehicles that had become swamped by the water had to be towed from the site. Additionally, a few homes were flooded along Waianae Valley Road and Lahaina Street; a debris flow closed part of Kamehameha Highway; and the westbound side of Farrington Highway became flooded near Aliinui Drive, where several cars stalled in the water.

What these are

Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
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 2010 Every state in 2010 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, December 2010

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: 267555, 267556, 267558, 267559, 267560, 268659, 268655, 268662, 268665, 268668, 268674.