Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in Hawaii, November 7 to 11, 2013

Name: Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in Hawaii, November 7 to 11, 2013
Start: 2013-11-07T14:12
End: 2013-11-11T03:21
Location: Hawaii

November 7 to 11, 2013 · NWS HFO · 23 events in 4 counties and zones

An upper level low north of the islands combined with a surface trough and shear line to produce heavy rain and flash flooding over parts of the Aloha State. 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: $2,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 23

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 Nov 7, 12:53 PM HST, 1 hour 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 7, 12:53 PM HST, 1 hour 19 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1253 PM HST THU NOV 7 2013

.UPDATE...
ADDED HEAVY SHOWERS TO THE FORECAST FOR OAHU AND KAUAI THIS
AFTERNOON BASED ON RADAR OBSERVATIONS.

&&

.SYNOPSIS...
SEA BREEZES WILL BRING AFTERNOON CLOUDS AND SHOWERS TODAY. TRADE
WINDS WILL BUILD BACK IN FRIDAY NIGHT THEN QUICKLY STRENGTHEN
SATURDAY IN CONJUNCTION WITH AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT FROM THE NORTH.
A WET PATTERN IS FORECAST FROM SATURDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK
WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION.../ISSUED 1006 AM HST THU NOV 7 2013/

WATER VAPOR SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES AN UPPER LEVEL LOW
CENTERED ABOUT 275 MILES NORTH OF KAUAI AND MOVING SLOWLY TO THE
WEST. AN 85 MPH SUBTROPICAL JET STREAM LIES ALONG THE SOUTHERN
PORTION OF THE LOW AND CONTINUES TO PRODUCE PASSING CIRRUS CLOUDS
OVER HAWAII. THE UPPER LOW IS EXPECTED TO LIFT NORTHEAST AND
BECOME ENGULFED IN A LONGWAVE TROUGH TO THE NORTHEAST THIS
WEEKEND...BUT EXPECT THE SCATTERED HIGH CLOUDS TO CONTINUE OVER THE
NEXT FEW DAYS.

AT THE SURFACE...A TROUGH LOCATED OVER KAUAI IS PROVIDING THE
LIGHT EAST TO SOUTHEAST BACKGROUND FLOW. SEA BREEZES...WITH
INTERIOR / LEEWARD CLOUDS AND A FEW SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP IN THE
NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. THE UPPER LOW HAS WEAKENED THE INVERSION
ALOFT CREATING SOMEWHAT UNSTABLE CONDITIONS TODAY. LIKELY THE RAIN
WILL BE LIMITED BY THE MOISTURE...SO NOT EXPECTING ANY LARGE
ACCUMULATIONS TODAY. CLOUDS AND SHOWERS SHOULD DISPERSE TONIGHT
LEEWARD WITH LAND BREEZES...BUT COASTAL WATERS ALONG THE WESTERN
HALF OF THE STATE WILL STILL SEE SOME SHOWERS RESULTING FROM THE
TROUGH AXIS.

TRADE WINDS SHOULD BE BACK FRIDAY NIGHT...AND WILL BEGIN TO
QUICKLY RAMP UP SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. THIS IS DUE TO AN
APPROACHING COLD FRONT FROM THE NORTH AND STRONG SURFACE HIGH
BEHIND IT. THE TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE STATE MAY BRING
WIND ADVISORY CONDITIONS SUNDAY AND MONDAY. THE STRONGEST WINDS
WILL BE FOCUSED OVER KAUAI...OAHU AND MOLOKAI DURING THIS TIME.

RAIN WILL ALSO RAMP SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT BEGINNING WITH
KAUAI AND SPREADING SOUTH. BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF BRING THE FRONT
ALL THE WAY TO THE BIG ISLAND BY MONDAY. COLDER AIR ALOFT FROM THE
EARLIER MENTIONED UPPER TROUGH TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE STATE IS
EXPECTED TO DESTABILIZE THE ATMOSPHERE BEGINNING SATURDAY NIGHT
INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE COLD FRONT...THERE
WILL LIKELY BE HEAVY RAIN AND THE POSSIBILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS
DURING THIS TIME. THE FORECAST WILL BE ADJUSTED TO ACCOUNT FOR
THESE FEATURES THIS AFTERNOON.

TRADE WINDS WILL QUICKLY DROP OFF ON TUESDAY AND REMAIN LIGHT INTO
WEDNESDAY. MODELS SHOW THE UPPER TROUGH SLIDING WESTWARD AND
SETTING UP NORTHWEST OF THE STATE. THIS SETS UP A BAND OF LAYERED
CLOUDS AND SHOWERS ACROSS MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND TUESDAY AND
WEDNESDAY.

&&

.AVIATION...
A JET STREAM MAY PRODUCING TURB FROM FL320-FL360...SO AIRMET TANGO
WILL REMAIN POSTED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

A TROUGH NEAR THE ISLANDS WILL KEEP THE ATMOSPHERE SOMEWHAT UNSTABLE
AND KEEP WINDS LIGHT TODAY. SEA BREEZES MAY PRODUCE OVER INTERIOR
SECTIONS. SHRA/BR WILL SHIFT BACK TO WINDWARD SECTIONS TONIGHT AS
TRADE WINDS START TO STRENGTHEN. THERE WILL BE OCCASIONAL MVFR
CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES OVER INTERIOR AREAS THIS AFTERNOON AND
OVER WINDWARD SECTIONS TONIGHT. THERE MAY BE ENOUGH CLOUDS AND
SHOWERS AT TIMES TO REQUIRE AIRMETS FOR MT OBSC.

&&

.MARINE...
MODERATE SHORT-PERIOD SWELLS FROM THE NORTHWEST AND NORTH WILL
LOWER THROUGH FRIDAY. THE NORTHWEST SWELL WILL REINFORECE FRIDAY
NIGHT AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE NORTH SWELL WILL SWING
AROUND THE NORTHEAST...INCREASING SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THE FIRST
PART OF NEXT WEEK.

A WEAK SURFACE TROUGH ACROSS THE WESTERN END OF THE STATE IS RESULTING
IN LIGHT EAST TO SOUTHEAST WINDS WHICH WILL CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY.
TRADE WINDS WILL QUICKLY BUILD SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT IN
RESPONSE TO AN APPROACHING FRONT AND STRONG HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM
BEHIND IT. ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY...GALE FORCE WINDS WILL BE
POSSIBLE IN THE CHANNELS...PARTICULAR ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF
THE STATE. AT A MINIMUM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS WILL BE
FELT ACROSS ALL COASTAL WATERS. THE TRADE WINDS SHOULD QUICKLY
TAPER OFF MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY.

&&

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

&&

UPDATE/DISCUSSION/MARINE...FOSTER
AVIATION...DONALDSON

The radar

The Molokai radar (PHMO), 105 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:10 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 heavy rain, 8 flash flood, 2 debris flow, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Honolulu

When: November 7, 2:12 PM HST to 9:31 PM HST
Where: Honolulu County, 1.92 mi E of Kawela Bay to 1.74 mi ESE of Waikane
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 21.698, -157.990

Heavy Rain, Kauai

When: November 8, 12:51 AM HST to 4:38 AM HST
Where: Kauai County, 1.37 mi W of Hanalei to 3.22 mi E of Koloa
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 22.200, -159.522

Heavy Rain, Kauai

When: November 8, 3:35 PM HST to 7:50 PM HST
Where: Kauai County, 4.96 mi WNW of Hanalei to 2.22 mi SSE of Wailua
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 22.216, -159.576

Heavy Rain, Honolulu

When: November 8, 6:45 PM HST to 10:20 PM HST
Where: Honolulu County, 2.17 mi E of Kawela Bay to 0.73 mi NNE of Waikane
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 21.699, -157.986

Heavy Rain, Honolulu

When: November 9, 8:30 AM HST to 11:24 AM HST
Where: Honolulu County, 2.35 mi E of Kawela Bay to 0.81 mi W of Punaluu
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 21.701, -157.983

Flash Flood, Kauai

When: November 9, 2:05 PM HST to 11:22 PM HST
Where: Kauai County, 0.58 mi SSE of Princeville to 0.72 mi SSE of Princeville
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 22.212, -159.477

Heavy rain caused the Hanalei River to overflow its banks along Kuhio Highway near the Hanalei Bridge in north Kauai.

Flash Flood, Honolulu

When: November 9, 3:15 PM HST to 5:36 PM HST
Where: Honolulu County, 1.07 mi NW of Kahaluu to 0.95 mi NW of Kahaluu
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 21.460, -157.842

Heavy rain in the area flooded Kamehameha Highway at Waihee Road in windward Oahu with up to 1.5 feet of water.

Debris Flow, Honolulu

When: November 9, 4:15 PM HST to 4:30 PM HST
Where: Honolulu County, 1.41 mi N of Tantalus to 1.38 mi N of Tantalus
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 21.350, -157.824

Falling rocks were reported on the Kailua-bound shoulder of Pali Highway on Oahu.

Debris Flow, Honolulu

When: November 9, 5:30 PM HST to 6:00 PM HST
Where: Honolulu County, 0.93 mi NNE of Pearl City to 0.9 mi NNE of Pearl City
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 21.411, -157.972

An emergency manager reported a debris flow, including large boulders, along Waihona Street at Waihona Place, in south central Oahu.

Heavy Rain, Honolulu

When: November 9, 5:42 PM HST to November 10, 1:40 AM HST
Where: Honolulu County, 0.79 mi ENE of Haleiwa to 0.66 mi N of Waialae
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 21.585, -158.109

Heavy Rain, Maui

When: November 9, 11:29 PM HST to November 10, 2:30 AM HST
Where: Maui County, 1.08 mi S of Kalaupapa to 0.98 mi E of Molokai Airport
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 21.184, -156.980

Flash Flood, Maui

When: November 10, 12:54 AM HST to 4:11 AM HST
Where: Maui County, 0.85 mi NNW of Wailuku to 0.83 mi NNW of Wailuku
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 20.892, -156.504

Fire crew responded to report of flooding at 399 N. Market Street in Wailuku. High water affected a church building and nearby apartments.

Lightning, Honolulu

When: November 10, 1:05 AM HST to 1:10 AM HST
Where: Honolulu County, 2.44 mi SSE of Kahuku
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 21.650, -157.930

Lightning struck and felled a utility pole.

Flash Flood, Maui

When: November 10, 1:21 AM HST to 4:11 AM HST
Where: Maui County, 0.86 mi E of Wailuku to 0.88 mi E of Wailuku
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 20.881, -156.487

A home became flooded along Holua Drive in Kahului.

Flash Flood, Maui

When: November 10, 1:36 AM HST to 4:11 AM HST
Where: Maui County, 0.88 mi NNW of Puunene to 0.86 mi N of Puunene
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 20.883, -156.473

A home became flooded along S. Kamehameha Avenue in Kahului.

Heavy Rain, Honolulu

When: November 10, 1:52 AM HST to 7:36 AM HST
Where: Honolulu County, 1.74 mi SSE of Kahuku to 0.24 mi NNW of Manoa
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 21.658, -157.937

Flash Flood, Maui

When: November 10, 2:03 AM HST to 4:11 AM HST
Where: Maui County, 1.19 mi NW of Puunene to 1.15 mi NW of Puunene
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 20.884, -156.481

A home became flooded along Aleo Place in Kahului.

Flash Flood, Maui

When: November 10, 2:12 AM HST to 4:11 AM HST
Where: Maui County, 0.76 mi ENE of Wailuku to 0.78 mi ENE of Wailuku
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 20.883, -156.489

A home became flooded along Pala Circle in Kahului.

Flash Flood, Maui

When: November 10, 2:18 AM HST to 4:11 AM HST
Where: Maui County, 0.76 mi E of Wailuku
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 20.879, -156.488

A home became flooded along Palama Drive in Kahului.

Heavy Rain, Maui

When: November 10, 4:16 AM HST to 6:34 AM HST
Where: Maui County, 0.82 mi SSE of Keanae to 0.52 mi NNW of Pukalani
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 20.859, -156.146

Heavy Rain, Hawaii

When: November 10, 2:14 PM HST to 4:21 PM HST
Where: Hawaii County, 3.31 mi ESE of Honaunau National Pk to 1.69 mi SE of Puako
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 19.408, -155.875

Heavy Rain, Maui

When: November 10, 4:40 PM HST to November 11, 3:21 AM HST
Where: Maui County, 1.3 mi S of Honokohau to 1.69 mi NW of Hamoa
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 21.001, -156.621

Heavy Rain, Hawaii

When: November 10, 10:01 PM HST to November 11, 12:54 AM HST
Where: Hawaii County, 1.87 mi NW of Hawi to 3.66 mi SSE of Mountain View
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 20.247, -155.852

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.
Debris Flow: A fast-moving slurry of mud, rock and debris, usually on a slope soaked by heavy rain or stripped by a fire.
Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Hawaii in 2013 Every state in 2013 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, November 2013

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: 479788, 479789, 479790, 479791, 480358, 479792, 479793, 480360, 480361, 480364, 480366, 480367, 480401, 480368, 480370, 480377, 480372, 480373, 480374, 480379, 480380, 480382, 480400.