Heavy Rain in Hawaii, May 26 to 28, 2014

Name: Heavy Rain in Hawaii, May 26 to 28, 2014
Start: 2014-05-26T17:48
End: 2014-05-28T23:08
Location: Hawaii

May 26 to 28, 2014 · NWS HFO · 2 events in 1 county or zone

An upper trough that had been northwest of the Aloha State began moving east. As it did, the system generated showers and isolated thunderstorms over the lee side of the Big Island of Hawaii.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

An upper trough that had been northwest of the Aloha State began moving east. As it did, the system generated showers and isolated thunderstorms over the lee side of the Big Island of Hawaii. The heavy rain produced ponding on roadways, and small stream and drainage ditch flooding. There were no serious injuries or property damage 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 May 26, 3:45 PM HST, 2 hours 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 26, 3:45 PM HST, 2 hours 3 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
345 PM HST MON MAY 26 2014

.SYNOPSIS...
AN UPPER LEVEL LOW NEAR THE STATE WILL PUSH EAST OVER THE NEXT
FEW DAYS...TAKING THE MOST UNSTABLE AIR WITH IT. HIGH PRESSURE
STRENGTHENING NORTH OF THE ISLANDS WILL ALLOW MORE COMFORTABLE
TRADE WINDS TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEK. LINGERING INSTABILITY
FROM AN UPPER TROUGH WILL KEEP THE TRADES SOMEWHAT SHOWERY THE
NEXT FEW DAYS.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
SURFACE OBSERVATIONS SHOW THAT TRADE WINDS FINALLY MADE THEIR
LONG-AWAITED RETURN TO THE ALOHA STATE TODAY. MEANWHILE...A
BROAD UPPER LEVEL LOW CONTINUES TO SPIN NEAR US...WITH SEVERAL
SMALLER VORTICITY CENTERS ROTATING AROUND IT. THE UPPER LOW IS
CONTINUING TO MAKE THE ATMOSPHERE MORE UNSTABLE THAN USUAL...BUT
THAT WILL BE GRADUALLY CHANGING OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. MODELS
SHOW THE DEEP MOIST LAYER AND SURFACE TROUGH THAT HAS BEEN OVER
THE ISLANDS SLIDING OFF TO THE WEST TONIGHT...AND THE UPPER LOW
MOVING SLOWLY OFF TO THE EAST. THE REMAINING AFTERNOON CONVECTION
OVER LAND WILL CONTINUE TO SETTLE DOWN...AND THE THUNDERSHOWERS
OVER THE WATER TO OUR SOUTH SHOULD ALSO DIMINISH. A LINGERING UPPER
TROUGH OVER THE STATE WILL KEEP THE MOIST LAYER A LITTLE DEEPER
THAN USUAL THIS WEEK...CAUSING A WETTER-THAN-NORMAL TRADE WIND
PATTERN OVERALL...BUT MUCH MORE SETTLED AND COMFORTABLE THAN WE
HAVE SEEN LATELY. IT MAY STILL BE UNSTABLE ENOUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON
OVER THE BIG ISLAND TO POP ONE OR TWO MORE THUNDERSHOWERS OVER
THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS.

SOME OF THE MODEL GUIDANCE SHOWS ANOTHER UPPER LOW DIGGING SOUTH
OVER THE STATE NEXT WEEKEND. IT IS A BIT EARLY TO BE SURE...BUT
THIS LOW LOOKS TO BE WEAKER THAN THE CURRENT ONE...AND LIKELY WILL
NOT HAVE NEARLY AS MUCH MOISTURE TO WORK WITH. THE MODELS SHOW
LITTLE IN THE WAY OF ANY SURFACE REFLECTION...SO THIS FEATURE MAY
NOT HAVE MUCH AFFECT ON SENSIBLE WEATHER.

&&

.AVIATION...
SLOW MOVING UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL KEEP THE LOCAL AIRMASS UNSTABLE
NEXT FEW DAYS. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TS DEVELOPED IN PLACE OVER
INTERIOR AND LEEWARD PORTIONS OF MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND AND ARE
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO EARLY EVENING. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
ISOLATED CBS ARE ALSO EMBEDDED IN THE ENE TRADE WIND FLOW. WINDWARD
AND MAUKA PORTIONS OF ALL ISLANDS ARE AT GREATEST THREAT OF BOTH TS
AND MVFR...BUT THE POTENTIAL FOR BOTH EXISTS ALL AREAS. CONVECTIVE
ACTIVITY SHOULD BECOME LESS ORGANIZED AFTER SUNSET. AIRMET SIERRA
FOR MOUNTAIN OBSCN CURRENTLY IN EFFECT FOR WINDWARD SLOPES OF OAHU
AND LANAI WILL LIKELY NOT BE EXTENDED.

&&

.MARINE...
TRADES WILL BE GRADUALLY INCREASING OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. OUR
LATEST FORECAST HAS THEM STARTING TO EXCEED SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY
CRITERIA IN THE NORMAL TERRAIN-ACCELERATED AREAS TUE NIGHT...BUT
CANNOT RULE OUT SCA WINDS EVEN A LITTLE SOONER. THE INCREASING
TRADES...AND STRONG HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NE WITH A LONG FETCH
AIMED AT THE ISLANDS...WILL ALSO RESULT IN RISING SHORT PERIOD
EASTERLY SWELL.

&&

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

&&

DISCUSSION...R BALLARD
AVIATION...BEDAL

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Hawaii

When: May 26, 5:48 PM HST to 8:58 PM HST
Where: Hawaii County, 3.06 mi SSW of Kona Village Resort to 3.47 mi E of Kealakekua
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 19.791, -156.003

Heavy Rain, Hawaii

When: May 28, 9:31 PM HST to 11:08 PM HST
Where: Hawaii County, 5.52 mi SSE of Kona Village Resort to 2.26 mi ESE of Captain Cook
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 19.754, -155.954

What these are

Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Hawaii in 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, May 2014

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: 512643, 512644.