LIHU‘E — As early as October 2022, the National Weather Service forecast that the state’s rainy season would produce particularly large amounts of rainfall.
And while Hawai‘i was drier than anticipated between mid-December and late January — 100 percent of Hawai‘i experienced “abnormally dry” conditions or worse as recently as Jan. 24, 2023, according to the NWS — the weeks that followed more than made up for it.
On Jan. 24, 2023, a cold front created heavy rainfall over portions of Kaua‘i, including 2 to 6 inches on the North Shore, closing Kuhio Highway for several hours.
The storm caused the most damage once it reached Maui, though, where flooding on the lower slopes of Haleakala created major runoff in Kihei. On Jan. 27, Maui firefighter Tre Evans-Dumaran was killed after the runoff pulled him into a storm drain and out to sea.
On Jan. 30, a storm on Kaua‘i’s North Shore received enough rainfall to overflow Hanalei River twice in one day.
However, February saw the state’s largest bouts of rain so far this year, with Kaua‘i and Hawai‘i Island taking the brunt.
On Feb. 16, a Kona low struck Hawai‘i Island, forcing several of the island’s southeastern roads to close. By Feb. 19, the island had received between 15 and 23 inches of rainfall over three days.
Just as one Kona low ended on Hawai‘i Island, another reached Kaua‘i. The storm flooded Hanalei River on the night of Feb. 20, closing Kuhio Highway through most of Feb. 21. By the end of the storm, Kaua‘i received 8 to 13 inches of rain, O‘ahu received 3 to 5 inches, and Hawai‘i Island received an additional 2 to 4 inches.
By the end of February, most of the island’s NWS rainfall gauges measured well above average monthly totals. Several windward and Ka‘u District sites on Hawai‘i Island recorded monthly rainfall three to nearly six times above their February averages, and Hilo Airport saw its fifth-wettest February on record, with 37.95 inches of rainfall.
And on Kaua‘i, every NWS gauge recorded well above average monthly rainfall as well. Mount Wai‘ale‘ale measured 63.84 inches — its highest February total since 1979. Hanapepe, Kalaheo, ‘Oma‘o and Wailua all recorded their highest February rainfalls since NWS began recording there about 30 years ago.
As of March 8, all rainfall gauges on Kaua‘i are exceeding year-to-date averages.
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Jackson Healy, reporter, can be reached at 808-647-4966 or jhealy@thegardenisland.com.
