Kona Storm Hawaii: HOUR BY HOUR Storms, Strong Winds and Flood Threat Continue Into Weekend
A large and powerful kona storm hawaii is moving north of the state, pulling deep tropical moisture over all islands and prompting first-alert weather declarations, extended flash flood threats, damaging south-to-southwesterly winds and widespread travel impacts.
HOUR BY HOUR Conditions Across the Islands
The First Alert Weather Team has declared a FIRST ALERT WEATHER DAYS as the storm brings an extended period of heavy rain and strong thunderstorms through Saturday morning, then shifts east into Maui County and Hawaii Island into Saturday afternoon and evening. Southerly to southwesterly winds will be strongest today and will produce damaging gusts, while south-shore surf is peaking just below advisory levels.
Forecasters outlined a roughly hourly progression: Kauai and Oʻahu can expect a line of thunderstorms and pop-up storms through the day with dangerous winds and heavy rain that will shift eastward before settling over Maui County and the Big Island. Thunderstorms are expected over the eastern half of the state through Saturday afternoon, with a main band that could stall between Maui and Hawaii Island and remain nearly stationary, exacerbating flooding risks.
Kona Storm Hawaii: Flash Flood Warnings, Road Closures and Local Impacts
Flash flood warnings remain in effect across multiple islands as heavy rainfall causes flooding and road closures. The National Weather Service has extended flash flood warnings for Oahu, Hawaii island and Molokai; the flash flood warning for Oahu is extended until 12: 30 am ET, for Hawaii island until 12: 30 am ET, and for Molokai until 12: 00 am ET. The flash flood warning for Maui was extended until 3: 00 am ET as heavy rain continues to impact south-facing areas from Maalaea Bay through Kihei and Makena to Kipahulu.
On Hawaii Island, heavy rain was reported over the Puna and Kau districts along southeast slopes, and Wood Valley Road is closed in both directions due to flooding. On Molokai, high water has been flowing across Kamehameha Highway near mile marker 6, where the road is passable only to four-wheel-drive vehicles at this time. Several road closures have been reported in Kihei and Lahaina because of significant flooding.
Maui County Updates, Shelters and Emergency Actions
Maui County maintains six open shelters: Lānaʻi High & Elementary School Gym, Hāna High School Cafeteria, Maui County Kaunakakai Gym on Molokaʻi, Lahaina Civic Center in West Maui, South Maui Community Park Gym and Maui High School Gym in Kahului. The county’s emergency management agency and the American Red Cross opened these facilities. The National Weather Service in Honolulu is predicting the storm will intensify through Sunday.
The Maui Emergency Management Agency has asked residents and visitors to stay off roadways unless travel is essential to allow emergency access and minimize safety concerns. Haleakalā National Park’s summit and Kīpahulu districts are closed, and travel on Hāna Highway in East Maui is limited to local traffic only. Any malfunctioning traffic light should be treated as a four-way stop. Several County of Maui offices are closed countywide today, with only essential workers reporting.
Local officials have taken preparatory steps: a mayoral emergency proclamation was signed on March 10 to allow access to state and federal assistance and to streamline resource deployment. The County Emergency Operations Center went into partial activation as of 6: 00 am ET on Thursday, March 12, while the Maui Emergency Management Agency and partners continue to assess storm impacts and collect damage reports.
The flooding threat is expected to slowly decrease for Kauai and Oahu into Sunday, but saturated ground means any additional rainfall may trigger quick runoff and flash flooding. Flash flooding and breezy southwest winds are still expected for Maui County and Hawaii Island on Sunday, with impacts potentially extending into Monday for Hawaii Island.
