Tornado and Flash Flooding in Hawaii, February 10 to 14, 2011

Name: Tornado and Flash Flooding in Hawaii, February 10 to 14, 2011
Start: 2011-02-10T06:33
End: 2011-02-14T18:49
Location: Hawaii

February 10 to 14, 2011 · NWS HFO · 8 events in 3 counties and zones

A cold front advancing from the west brought heavy rain, showers, thunderstorms, and a weak tornado over the western parts of the island chain, causing flash flooding in parts of Oahu and Maui. There were no reports of serious injuries.

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: 8

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.

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 Feb 10, 4:00 AM HST, 2 hours 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 10, 4:00 AM HST, 2 hours 33 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
400 AM HST THU FEB 10 2011

.SYNOPSIS...
SHOWERS WILL SPREAD AND INCREASE TODAY ON SOUTHERLY WINDS AHEAD OF
AN APPROACHING FRONT. FROM TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...THE FRONT
WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE STATE. NORTHERLY WINDS ACCOMPANYING
A BRIEF DRYING TREND WILL TURN EASTERLY BEHIND THE FRONT...AS
SHOWERS INCREASE AGAIN INTO NEXT WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
OBSERVATIONS AROUND THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS REPORTED LIGHT
SOUTHERLY WINDS PREVAILING. THE SOUNDING FROM HILO RECORDED A FAIRLY
TYPICAL AIR MASS...COMPLETE WITH AN INVERSION...WHILE CONDITIONS
REMAINED SIGNIFICANTLY MOISTER AND LESS STABLE AT LIHUE...THOUGH
EVEN THERE THE BEGINNINGS OF AN INVERSION WERE EVIDENT.

ALOFT...A FEEBLE RIDGE LANGUISHED OVER THE STATE BETWEEN A LOW TO
THE SOUTHEAST AND LOOSE BUT VERY BROAD TROUGHING TO THE NORTHWEST.
GUIDANCE AGREES IN PREDICTING THAT THE TROUGHING FROM THE NORTHWEST
WILL ERODE THE RIDGE FURTHER INTO THE WEEKEND.

AT THE SURFACE...A FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE NORTH NORTHWEST
TODAY. WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL WILL REMAIN SOUTHERLY...AND
INCREASE SOMEWHAT THROUGH THE DAY. RECENT GUIDANCE AGREES PASSABLY
THAT THE FRONT WILL REACH KAUAI BY LATE TONIGHT...AND THEN PROCEED
SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE STATE...ARRIVING NEAR THE BIG ISLAND BY
SATURDAY. CONVECTIVE BANDS FORMING FROM WIND CONVERGENCE AHEAD OF
THE FRONT WILL BRING INCREASING SHOWERS...AS SUPPORTED BY THE
INCREASE IN RADAR RETURNS TO THE SOUTHWEST OF THE ISLANDS. THE
PASSAGE OF THE FRONT ITSELF MAY BRING ONLY A SLIGHT DECREASE IN
PRECIPITATION...BUT MODERATE TO STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS BEHIND IT
SHOULD BE NOTICEABLE.

WINDS WILL TURN MORE EASTERLY AGAIN BY LATE IN THE WEEKEND AS THE
HIGH BEHIND THE FRONT SHIFTS SOUTHEAST. THIS WIND TRAJECTORY WILL
CARRY MORE CONCENTRATED ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE FROM THE DISSIPATING
FRONT OVER THE STATE...PRODUCING AN INCREASE IN SHOWERS INTO NEXT
WEEK...ESPECIALLY WINDWARD.

A COLD POOL ALOFT...ASSOCIATED WITH DEEPER TROUGHING FURTHER
NORTH...WILL EDGE OVER THE STATE ALONG WITH THE FRONT AT THE
SURFACE...ALLOWING FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS BY LATE IN
THE WEEKEND...MAINLY FROM MAUI COUNTY NORTH. HIGHER ELEVATIONS ALSO
MAY RECEIVE A LITTLE SNOW.

&&

.MARINE...
ALTHOUGH INCREASING S WINDS ARE EXPECTED NEAR KAUAI AND OAHU...WINDS
AND SEAS SHOULD REMAIN BELOW SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY /SCA/ LEVELS
TODAY. INCREASING SEAS AND SWELLS FINALLY MAY DRIVE SEAS ABOVE THE
SCA THRESHOLDS BY LATE TONIGHT.

AN EXTENSIVE FETCH OF N-NE WINDS EXTENDING NE FROM THE ISLANDS WILL
ENSURE A GENERALLY NORTHERLY SWELL CENTERED ON SHORT PERIODS THIS
WEEKEND...BUT A SPREAD OF PERIODS AND DIRECTIONS WILL MAKE FOR
SLOPPY CONDITIONS THROUGH SUNDAY. INCREASING E WINDS LATE THIS
WEEKEND ALSO ARE EXPECTED TO EXCEED SCA VALUES IN MOST AREAS. THESE
INCREASED SEAS AND SWELLS LIKELY WILL BE LARGE ENOUGH TO BRING HIGH
SURF TO BOTH NORTH- AND EAST-FACING SHORES.

&&

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

&&

RYSHKO

The radar

The South Kauai radar (PHKI), 15 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:32 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 heavy rain, 2 flash flood, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Kauai

When: February 10, 6:33 AM HST to 7:52 AM HST
Where: Kauai County, 0.7 mi SSE of Waimea Kauai to 1.07 mi SW of Kapaa
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 21.960, -159.677

Heavy Rain, Honolulu

When: February 10, 10:25 PM HST to February 11, 8:53 AM HST
Where: Honolulu County, 3.52 mi WSW of Mokuleia to 0.66 mi ENE of Kaaawa
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 21.568, -158.233

Tornado, Maui

When: February 11, 2:15 PM HST
Where: Maui County, 0.2 mi NE of I Kihei
Rating: EF0
Path length: 0.01 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 20.772, -156.448

A funnel cloud briefly touched down near Kihei on the island of Maui. Police officers reported no property damage or injuries.

Flash Flood, Honolulu

When: February 11, 3:45 PM HST to 4:51 PM HST
Where: Honolulu County, 1.1 mi W of Kailua to 1.01 mi WNW of Kailua
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 21.401, -157.767

Heavy rain caused flooding along Kapaa Quarry Road near Kailua on the island of Oahu.

Flash Flood, Maui

When: February 11, 3:55 PM HST to 6:40 PM HST
Where: Maui County, 0.59 mi WNW of Kihei to 0.54 mi NW of Kihei
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 20.755, -156.458

Heavy rain caused flooding along South Kihei Road in Kihei on the island of Maui.

Heavy Rain, Maui

When: February 11, 8:06 PM HST to February 12, 12:16 AM HST
Where: Maui County, 0.65 mi NNE of Waihee to 1.35 mi NW of Kaupakulua
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 20.939, -156.517

Heavy Rain, Maui

When: February 12, 8:27 PM HST to February 13, 1:13 AM HST
Where: Maui County, 0.48 mi E of Honokohau to 0.84 mi ENE of Honokahua
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 21.020, -156.613

Heavy Rain, Honolulu

When: February 14, 4:57 PM HST to 6:49 PM HST
Where: Honolulu County, 1.27 mi NW of Makaha Valley to 1.7 mi SE of Maili
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 21.492, -158.215

What these are

Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
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 2011 Every state in 2011 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Hawaii, 2011 Warnings in Hawaii, February 2011

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: 277078, 277083, 277086, 277084, 277085, 277087, 277088, 277089.