Heavy rain drenched the Garden Isle of Kauai as an upper low destabilized the atmosphere. The system caused flash flooding near Hanalei in the northern part of the isle.
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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.
The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.
Heavy rain drenched the Garden Isle of Kauai as an upper low destabilized the atmosphere. The system caused flash flooding near Hanalei in the northern part of the isle. No serious injuries or property damage were reported.
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 Nov 5, 10:00 AM HST, 5 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 1000 AM HST SAT NOV 5 2011 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE NORTH OF THE STATE WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE MODERATE TO FRESH TRADE WINDS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. AN UPPER LOW IN THE ISLAND VICINITY WILL KEEP THE AIRMASS UNSTABLE WITH INCREASED PROBABILITIES OF SHOWERS ESPECIALLY FOR WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS. SOME OF THESE SHOWERS WILL BE LOCALLY HEAVY WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AT TIMES. && .DISCUSSION... AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS CENTERED JUST TO THE WEST SOUTHWEST OF KAUAI. THIS IS CAUSING THE AIRMASS TO BE UNSTABLE WITH HIGHER PROBABILITIES OF SHOWERS ACROSS THE STATE. THERE IS ALSO A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS UNDER THESE UNSTABLE CONDITIONS WITH SOME SNOW POSSIBLE OVER THE BIG ISLAND SUMMITS. THE UPPER LOW IS FORECAST TO DRIFT EASTWARD AND WEAKEN A BIT OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS WITH THE AIRMASS REMAINING ON THE UNSTABLE SIDE ESPECIALLY OVER THE EAST END OF THE ISLAND CHAIN. AT THE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN ENTRENCHED TO OUR NORTH THOUGH ITS STRENGTH AND POSITION WILL VARY OVER TIME. MODERATE TO FRESH TRADE WINDS WILL BLOW THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST PERIOD. MOISTURE RIDING IN ON THE TRADES WILL FOCUS SHOWERS OVER WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS WITH THE TRADES SUFFICIENTLY STRONG ENOUGH TO BLOW SOME SHOWERS OVER LEEWARD AREAS AT TIMES. SOME OF THESE SHOWERS MAY BE LOCALLY HEAVY. A CONTINUANCE OF THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL WILL REMAIN OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS ESPECIALLY FOR THE BIG ISLAND SLOPES. LATER IN THE WEEK BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF MODELS SHOW THE REMNANTS OF A FRONTAL BAND GETTING CAUGHT UP IN THE TRADES AND MOVING INTO THE ISLANDS FROM THE NORTHEAST. WITH UPPER TROUGHING REMAINING IN THE ISLAND VICINITY WETTER TRADE WIND WEATHER WOULD BE THE OUTCOME IF THIS SCENARIO PANS OUT. && .MARINE... THE STRONG HIGH TO OUR NORTH WILL REQUIRE THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY TO REMAIN POSTED OVER THE USUAL WINDY WATERS AROUND MAUI COUNTY AND THE BIG ISLAND THROUGH AT LEAST THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. A NEW NORTHWEST SWELL CONTINUES TO FILL IN AT BOTH BUOY 51101 AND THE WAIMEA BUOY. THIS SWELL WILL PEAK TONIGHT WITH OPEN OCEAN SWELL HEIGHTS OF ABOUT 5 FEET. THIS SWELL WILL SLOWLY LOWER INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. TRADE WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE SHORT PERIOD CHOPPY ALONG EAST FACING SHORES. && .AVIATION... AIRMET TANGO S THRU W OF MT ALL ISLANDS FOR MOD TURB DUE TO STRONG TRADE WINDS. A LOW ALOFT WILL PRODUCE ISOLATED HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE CONVECTION. .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON FOR NIIHAU-KAUAI-OAHU. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM HST SUNDAY FOR MAALAEA BAY- PAILOLO CHANNEL-ALENUIHAHA CHANNEL-BIG ISLAND LEEWARD WATERS-BIG ISLAND SOUTHEAST WATERS. && SYNOPSIS...BURKE DISCUSSION...BURKE MARINE...BURKE AVIATION...DONALDSON
The South Kauai radar (PHKI), 36 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:29 UTC.
2 flash flood, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Hanalei Bridge was closed along Kuhio Highway because of water from the Hanalei River overflowing the roadway.
Hanalei Bridge was closed along Kuhio Highway because of water from the Hanalei River overflowing the roadway. Kauai police reopened the bridge at 2:10 AM on the 6th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Hawaii in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, November 2011
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: 351652, 351651, 351653.