An upper level trough destabilized the atmosphere and led to heavy rain that caused isolated flooding impacts on the Big Island.
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The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.
An upper level trough destabilized the atmosphere and led to heavy rain that caused isolated flooding impacts on the Big Island.
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 Mar 5, 9:49 AM HST, 5 hours 11 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Honolulu HI 949 AM HST Tue Mar 5 2024 .SYNOPSIS... A wet trade wind pattern with isolated thunderstorms and locally heavy rain, especially over windward areas, will prevail through Wednesday night. Breezy trades will further strengthen during the middle part of the week. && .DISCUSSION... Split flow pattern over the North Pacific Basin persists with the northern with ridging in the northern branch maintaining high pressure along and north of 30N. Low amplitude troughing within the southern branch lingers over the islands and is the source of the occasional wave of larger scale forcing over the area. Meanwhile, a reservoir of rich low to mid level moisture remains positioned near/southeast of the island chain giving trade winds a source of enhanced moisture. Together, this spells a period of wet trades for the islands that began early this week and will persist through at least Wednesday night. For this morning, a pocket of moderate to locally heavy showers is working across Kauai and Oahu while the eastern end of the state remains mostly clear beneath patchy high clouds and is receiving only limited windward shower activity. Conditions will improve as deeper moisture exits to the west this morning with only isolated to scattered showers expected over windward and mauka zones for the remainder of the daytime hours. In all likelihood, the wet spot by this afternoon will be leeward Big Island which featured a decent convective response beneath extensive high clouds yesterday. Diminishing high clouds through today should allow greater instability to develop which will in turn favor a better response than yesterday. Given the moisture rich airmass in place over the Big Island, flooding issues are not out of the question should showers develop sufficiently downslope to cause issues. This will be the primary focus of attention this afternoon. By tonight, the center of the resident upper low will be positioned directly overhead tonight giving the next wave of moisture some added instability and steeper lapse rates to work with as 500mb temperatures fall further to around -17C (west) and -14C (east). Little change in the forecast tonight through Wednesday night as global model consensus remains strong that the bulk of organized rainfall will focus over the eastern end of the state, mainly during overnight periods. Locally heavy rain including isolated thunderstorms will nonetheless be possible for all windward and mauka areas. Heading into the second half of the week (Thursday onward), the large scale pattern undergoes little in the way of change, but deeper troughing west of the islands is modeled to pump up heights locally which should help bring an end to the current wet trade wind pattern. A more typical breezy to locally strong trade wind pattern then prevails heading into the weekend. && .AVIATION... Moderate to breezy trade winds will persist for the next several days as strong surface high pressure holds north of the state. Clouds and showers will favor windward slopes and coasts. Periods of MVFR conditions with low ceilings and visibility in showers are expected mainly over windward airfields, especially in the late night and morning hours. A deepening upper level trough will enhance convective activity. There is a slight chance of thunderstorms statewide through forty- eight hours and possibly beyond. AIRMET Sierra is in effect for northeast facing slopes of Kauai. Conditions have improved elsewhere and thus the AIRMET was canceled. AIRMET Tango is in effect for moderate leeward mountain wave turbulence over all islands due to breezy trade winds, and is expected to remain necessary through twenty-four hours and possibly beyond. && .MARINE... A strong ~1032 mb high about 900 nm N of the islands will move slowly E the next couple of days, supporting strong to near-gale force ENE trade winds. Another high will build N of the islands toward the end of the week, with little change in wind speeds expected through the weekend. A Small Craft Advisory is in effect for all waters, and will likely remain in place through the week. A persistent trough aloft will keep the island atmosphere unstable the next couple of days, with briefly heavy, fast-moving showers producing periods of strong wind gusts and low visibility. The potential also exists for isolated thunderstorms, especially over windward waters. Fewer showers are expected by the weekend as the trough weakens. The persistent trade winds will generate rough and choppy surf along E facing shores through the week. Gradually diminishing medium- period swells out of the NW and N will continue to trend down today. A small, medium-period NW swell is expected Wednesday, followed by a larger, longer period NW swell Friday and Saturday that will likely produce peak surf heights just below near High Surf Advisory levels. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Storm Warning until 6 AM HST Wednesday for Big Island Summits. Small Craft Advisory until 6 AM HST Thursday for all Hawaiian waters- && DISCUSSION...JVC AVIATION...TS/WALSH MARINE...Birchard
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Kuakini Highway was closed between Onioni St and Queen Kaahumanu Hwy due to flooding.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Hawaii in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, March 2024
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: 1161152.