Hawaii, 2016

Heavy Rain in Hawaii, April 3 to 5, 2016

April 3 to 5, 2016 · NWS HFO · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

In advance of an approaching front, areas of showers developed over northern parts of Kauai and in the North Kona District on the lee side of the Big Island of Hawaii. The precipitation produced small stream and drainage ditch flooding, and ponding on roadways.

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.

In advance of an approaching front, areas of showers developed over northern parts of Kauai and in the North Kona District on the lee side of the Big Island of Hawaii. The precipitation produced small stream and drainage ditch flooding, and ponding on roadways. There were no reports of serious property damage or injuries.

However, the rains on Kauai swelled the Hanakapiai Stream enough to make it impassable. More than 100 hikers along a trail in the area were trapped and had to be rescued by air crews with the Kauai Fire Department over a two-day period, 3-4 April.

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 3, 12:00 PM HST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 3, 12:00 PM HST, 2 hours 30 minutes before
OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR HAWAII
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1200 PM HST SUN APR 3 2016

HAWAIIAN OFFSHORE WATERS BEYOND 40 NAUTICAL MILES OUT TO 240
NAUTICAL MILES INCLUDING THE PORTION OF THE PAPAHANAUMOKUAKEA
MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT EAST OF FRENCH FRIGATE SHOALS

SEAS GIVEN AS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT...WHICH IS THE AVERAGE HEIGHT
OF THE HIGHEST 1/3 OF THE WAVES. INDIVIDUAL WAVES MAY BE MORE THAN
TWICE THE SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT.

PHZ105-040400-
1200 PM HST SUN APR 3 2016

.SYNOPSIS FOR HAWAIIAN OFFSHORE WATERS... A SURFACE RIDGE 325 NM N
OF KAUAI WILL BE PUSHED INTO NRN WATERS TONIGHT BY AN APPROACHING
FRONT. THE FRONT WILL ENTER NW WATERS MONDAY NIGHT AND MOVE DOWN THE
ISLAND CHAIN TUESDAY INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY...STALLING NEAR THE BIG
ISLAND WEDNESDAY. STRONG HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD BEHIND THE
FRONT...PASSING WELL N OF THE AREA ON THURSDAY.

PHZ180-040400-
HAWAIIAN OFFSHORE WATERS
1200 PM HST SUN APR 3 2016

.THIS AFTERNOON...S OF 20N...E WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. FROM 20N TO
24N...E WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. N OF 24N...SE WINDS 10 KT. SEAS 4 TO 8
FT...HIGHEST S WATERS.
.TONIGHT...S OF 22N...E WINDS 10 TO 20 KT. N OF 22N...SE TO S
WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 4 TO 8 FT...HIGHEST S WATERS.
.MONDAY...NW HALF...S TO SW 15 KT OR LESS. SE HALF...E TO SE WINDS
15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 8 FT...HIGHEST S WATERS.
.MONDAY NIGHT...FRONT OVER FAR NW WATERS. NW OF FRONT...NW WINDS 15
TO 20 KT. REST OF NW HALF...SW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SE HALF...E TO SE
WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT.
.TUESDAY...FRONT OVER CENTRAL WATERS. NW HALF...N WINDS 20 TO 25 KT.
SE HALF...SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT...EXCEPT E WINDS 15 KT S OF 17N. SEAS
6 TO 9 FT.
.WEDNESDAY...FRONT STALLING NEAR BIG ISLAND. NE WINDS 15 TO 25 KT.
SEAS 7 TO 10 FT...HIGHEST NW HALF.
.THURSDAY...E WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 7 TO 9 FT.

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, Kauai

When
April 3, 2:30 PM HST to 4:45 PM HST
Where
Kauai County, 3.54 mi WNW of Hanalei to 1.28 mi NE of Makole
Reported by
Official NWS Observations
Coordinates
22.218, -159.552

Heavy Rain, Hawaii

When
April 5, 2:13 AM HST to 4:46 AM HST
Where
Hawaii County, 1.72 mi ESE of Waikoloa Beach Resort to 2.57 mi ESE of Captain Cook
Reported by
Official NWS Observations
Coordinates
19.907, -155.857

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

More

Every storm in Hawaii in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, April 2016

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: 624391, 623744.