Heavy Rain, Hawaii
- When
- April 15, 2:24 PM HST to 8:00 PM HST
- Where
- Hawaii County, 4.09 mi ENE of Kawaihae to 1.32 mi ENE of Captain Cook
- Reported by
- Official NWS Observations
- Coordinates
- 20.051, -155.771
Heavy Rain in Hawaii, April 15, 2015
With heating during the afternoon, heavy rain developed over leeward sections of the Big Island of Hawaii. The area stretched from South Kohala to South Kona.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
With heating during the afternoon, heavy rain developed over leeward sections of the Big Island of Hawaii. The area stretched from South Kohala to South Kona. The downpours led to small stream and drainage ditch flooding, and ponding on roadways. No serious injuries or property damage were 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 Apr 15, 10:00 AM HST, 4 hours 24 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 15, 10:00 AM HST, 4 hours 24 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 1000 AM HST WED APR 15 2015 .SYNOPSIS... A SURFACE RIDGE TO THE NORTH WILL MAINTAIN TRADE WINDS OVER THE ISLANDS THROUGH NEXT WEEK. A TROUGH ALOFT WILL PASS NORTH OF THE AREA THROUGH FRIDAY. THE TROUGH WILL MAKE SHOWERS MORE ACTIVE AND WEAKEN THE TRADES AS IT PASSES. THE TRADE WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN AND RAINFALL WILL DECREASE OVER THE WEEKEND AS THE TROUGH MOVES AWAY. && .DISCUSSION... A STRONG 1035 MB HIGH IS ABOUT 1900 MILES NORTHEAST OF OAHU WITH A 1031 MB HIGH ABOUT 1400 MILES TO THE NORTHWEST. THERE IS A FRONT... SUPPORTED BY A TROUGH ALOFT...BETWEEN THE TWO HIGHS ABOUT 650 MILES NORTHWEST OF OAHU. THE HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE IS MAINTAINING TRADE WINDS OVER THE ISLANDS BUT THE WINDS HAVE WEAKENED SINCE YESTERDAY DUE TO THE FRONT TO THE NORTHWEST. THE TRADE WINDS ARE CARRYING LOW CLOUDS OVER THE WINDWARD SIDES OF THE ISLANDS. THE ATMOSPHERE OVER THE AREA IS A BIT MOIST AND UNSTABLE THANKS TO THE TROUGH ALOFT...SO THE CLOUDS MOVING OVER THE ISLANDS ARE RATHER SHOWERY. THE MODELS ARE IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT SHOWING THE ATMOSPHERE REMAINING MOIST AND UNSTABLE THROUGH FRIDAY AS THE TROUGH ALOFT PASSES NORTH OF THE AREA. THE WEATHER WILL TURN DRIER BY THE WEEKEND AND THE DRIER WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK. MEANWHILE...HIGH PRESSURE NORTH OF THE ISLANDS WILL STRENGTHEN AS THE TROUGH ALOFT MOVES AWAY. THAT WILL TIGHTEN THE PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER THE ISLANDS AND THE TRADE WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN. THE TRADES WILL BECOME QUITE BREEZY BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION... AIRMET SIERRA FOR MTN OBSC IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WINDWARD SIDES OF THE BIG ISLAND AND MAUI. VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL OVER MOST LEEWARD AREAS...BUT AFTERNOON CONVECTION MAY PRODUCE MVFR CONDITIONS OVER THE LEEWARD AREAS OF THE BIG ISLAND AND MAUI. AIRMET TANGO IS IN EFFECT FOR MOD TURB BETWEEN FL280 AND FL350 DUE TO A JET STREAM ALOFT AND FOR MOD TURB BLW 090 IN THE LEE OF THE ISLANDS. && .MARINE... WIND SPEEDS AND SEAS ARE FORECAST TO REMAIN BELOW THE ADVISORY THRESHOLDS TODAY. TRADE WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN AGAIN LATER THIS WEEK AND SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES...SCA...MAY BE REQUIRED AGAIN BY TOMORROW NIGHT FOR THE WINDY AREAS AROUND THE BIG ISLAND AND MAUI. THE WINDS WILL LIKELY STRENGTHEN FURTHER OVER THE WEEKEND AND THE SCA CONDITIONS MAY BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD. SURF IS BUILDING ALONG NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES AS A NEW NORTHWEST SWELL ROLLS IN...BUT THE SURF IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW THE ADVISORY THRESHOLD. THIS SWELL WILL PEAK OVERNIGHT...THEN GRADUALLY SUBSIDE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. TRADE WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE ROUGH SURF ALONG EAST FACING SHORES. SURF HEIGHTS WILL LIKELY INCREASE SLIGHTLY ALONG EAST FACING SHORES THIS WEEKEND AS THE TRADE WINDS STRENGTHEN AGAIN. ONLY SMALL SURF IS EXPECTED ALONG SOUTH FACING SHORES THROUGH THE WEEKEND. SURF ALONG THE SOUTH FACING SHORES MAY BUILD TO MODERATE LEVELS NEXT WEEK. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && DONALDSON
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Colorado, April 15 to 18, 2015
- High Surf in Hawaii, April 15 to 16, 2015
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Louisiana, April 15, 2015
- Flash Flood and Hail in Tennessee, April 15 to 16, 2015
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Mississippi, April 15, 2015
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Kansas, April 15, 2015
- Hail in Nebraska, April 15 to 18, 2015
- Winter Storm in Wyoming, April 15 to 16, 2015
- Damaging Winds in South Carolina, April 15, 2015
- Heavy Snow in Utah, April 15 to 18, 2015
- Flooding in Kentucky, April 15 to 26, 2015
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, April 15, 2015
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, April 2015
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: 565944.