Hawaii, 2015Flash Flood in Hawaii, September 14, 2015
September 14, 2015 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone
High running water at Wailuku River's Boiling Pots on the Big Island resulted in one drowning fatality after the swimmer was pulled downstream and didn't make it out. The other swimmer was able to make it to the river bank downstream.
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- Deaths
- 1
- 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.
High running water at Wailuku River's Boiling Pots on the Big Island resulted in one drowning fatality after the swimmer was pulled downstream and didn't make it out. The other swimmer was able to make it to the river bank downstream.
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 Sep 14, 3:59 PM HST, 1 hour 51 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 14, 3:59 PM HST, 1 hour 51 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
359 PM HST MON SEP 14 2015
.SYNOPSIS...
A STRONG SURFACE HIGH FAR NORTH OF THE AREA WILL KEEP TRADE WINDS
BLOWING OVER THE ISLANDS THROUGH THURSDAY. A BAND OF SHOWERS WILL OVER
THE ISLANDS AND KEEP WINDWARD AREAS RATHER WET AND CLOUDY THROUGH
WEDNESDAY. THE ATMOSPHERE MAY TURN MOIST AND UNSTABLE AGAIN NEXT
WEEKEND...BRINGING THE THREAT OF MORE UNSETTLED WEATHER.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
MODERATE TO FRESH TRADE WINDS DRIVEN BY A STRONG HIGH FAR NORTH
OF THE STATE. SATELLITE AND RADAR SHOW SCATTERED SHOWERS CARRYING
IN WITH THE TRADE WINDS BRINGING SCATTERED WINDWARD SHOWERS ACROSS
THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON. SOME LEEWARD AREAS ARE RECEIVING SOME
SHOWER ACTIVITY AS THE WINDS PUSH THEM OVER THE MOUNTAINS.
A 1030 MB HIGH FAR IS NORTH OF HAWAII NEAR 41N158W. MODELS ARE IN
GOOD AGREEMENT SHOWING THE HIGH MOVING SOUTH CLOSER TO THE STATE
IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...THEN MOVING TOWARDS THE EAST THROUGH
THE WEEKEND. THE HIGH WILL KEEP TRADE WINDS BLOWING OVER THE
ISLANDS THROUGH AT LEAST THURSDAY.
SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS A FETCH OF CLOUDS AND SHOWERS EXTENDING
OUT 600 MILES EAST OF THE BIG ISLAND. THE TRADE WINDS ARE PUSHING
THE SHOWERS WESTWARD OVER THE STATE...AND WILL KEEP WINDWARD AREAS
RATHER CLOUDY AND SHOWERY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SOME OF THE SHOWERS
MAY SPREAD LEEWARD ON THE SMALLER ISLANDS...MAINLY DURING THE
NIGHT AND EARLY MORNING HOURS.
THE WEATHER MAY TURN BRIEFLY DRIER ON THURSDAY AS THE SHOWERS MOVE OFF
TO THE WEST. HOWEVER...THE GLOBAL MODELS SUGGEST THE WEATHER MAY
TURN WETTER AGAIN FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. A LOW ALOFT
APPROACHING FROM THE EAST AND TROPICAL MOISTURE SPREADING OVER THE
AREA FROM THE SOUTHEAST COULD BRING MORE MUGGY WEATHER AND THE
THREAT OF HEAVY RAIN.
&&
.AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF THE
EVENING WITH ISOL MVFR IN CLOUDS AND SHOWERS THAT WILL BE FOCUSED
OVER WINDWARD SLOPES. OVERNIGHT A BAND OF LOW CLOUDS MAY EXPAND THE
AREAS IMPACTED BY CLOUDS AND SHOWERS...WHICH MAY NECESSITATE AN
AIRMET FOR MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION...WITH CONDITIONS IMPROVING TUESDAY
MORNING. LOW LEVEL WINDS HAVE PROMPTED AIRMET TANGO FOR MECHANICAL
TURBULENCE TO THE LEE OF THE MOUNTAINS OF ALL ISLANDS.
&&
.MARINE...
THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY /SCA/ HAS BEEN EXPANDED TO COVER ALL
COASTAL WATERS EXCEPT THE WINDWARD BIG ISLAND DUE TO INITIALLY
STRONGER TRADE WINDS. THIS SCA GOES THROUGH THE DAY TUESDAY WITH
AT LEAST SOME OF THE WINDIER ZONES LIKELY CONTINUING BEYOND THIS
TIME. THE DRIVING HIGH PRESSURE WEAKENS AFTER TUESDAY RESULTING IN
THE TRADE WINDS WEAKENING SLIGHTLY.
A SMALL TO MODERATE SOUTH SOUTHWEST SWELL IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE
THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEK. SURF ALONG SOUTH FACING SHORES MAY RISE TO
JUST BELOW THE HIGH SURF ADVISORY THRESHOLD ON FRIDAY. TRADE WINDS
WILL GENERATE SMALL TO MODERATE SURF ALONG EAST FACING SHORES
THROUGH MUCH OF THE WORK WEEK.
&&
.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM HST TUESDAY FOR ALL HAWAIIAN
COASTAL WATERS EXCEPT WINDWARD BIG ISLAND WATERS.
&&
DISCUSSION/MARINE...FOSTER
AVIATION...M BALLARD
Flash Flood, Hawaii
- When
- September 14, 5:50 PM HST to 7:00 PM HST
- Where
- Hawaii County, 4.03 mi WSW of Hilo to 3.86 mi WSW of Hilo
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- Newspaper
- Coordinates
- 19.715, -155.130
Fire/rescue crews responded to a 5:50 p.m. alarm Monday (Sept 14) to Wailuku River Boiling Pots State Park for a missing swimmer.|A witness said he was swimming in the upper pond at Boiling Pots with a 62-year-old woman when both began to be pulled downstream by the fast-moving current. Both attempted to swim towards the river bank but the woman didn’t make it out.
- 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.
- Flash Flooding in Utah, September 14, 201520 deaths · 3 injured · $750,000 · 2 events
- Flash Flood in Arizona, September 14, 20151 death · $500,000 · 1 event
- Damaging Wind in California, September 14, 2015$1.2 million · 52 kt wind · 1 event
- Damaging Winds in Arizona, September 14, 2015$140,000 · 61 kt wind · 5 events
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds in Gulf of Mexico, September 14 to 16, 201512 events
- Heavy Rain in Florida, September 14 to 15, 20152 events
- High Wind in Kansas, September 14, 201552 kt wind · 1 event
- Hail in Nebraska, September 14, 20151 in hail · 1 event
- Waterspout in Gulf of Mexico, September 14, 20151 event
- Funnel Cloud in Florida, September 14, 20151 event
- Damaging Wind in Arizona, September 14, 2015$5,000 · 1 event
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: 612580.