The weather here is so unfathomable.

[knieft]

quote:

---

Originally posted by sistersue

The forecast today says heavy thunderstorms again this weekend.[]

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Before this thread gets shut down on the basis of hijacking:

Sweet fresh water falling from the sky: We're rich. We're rich!

So I tell myself.

Cheers,
Kirt

[Kapoho Joe]

We are Kirt, we really are!

[TomK]

Just saw this on the NWS site:

"Possible New National 24-Hr Rainfall Record from Kauai"

http://www.prh.noaa.gov/data/HFO/RERHFO.1804252332

Full text:

"RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
132 PM HST WED APR 25 2018

...POSSIBLE NEW NATIONAL RECORD 24-HOUR RAINFALL FROM KAUAI...

PRELIMINARY DATA DOWNLOADED FROM A REMOTE RAIN GAGE IN NORTH KAUAI
INDICATE THAT RAINFALL DURING THE FLASH FLOOD EVENT ON APRIL
14-15, 2018 BROKE THE U.S. 24-HOUR RAINFALL RECORD. THE RAIN
GAGE, LOCATED IN WAIPA ABOUT ONE MILE WEST OF HANALEI, RECORDED
49.69 INCHES OF RAINFALL DURING THE 24-HOUR PERIOD ENDING AT 12:45
PM HST APRIL 15. THIS TOTAL, IF CERTIFIED, WILL BREAK THE CURRENT
U.S. 24-HOUR RECORD OF 43 INCHES AT ALVIN, TX ON JULY 25-26,
1979, AND THE STATE OF HAWAII RECORD OF 38 INCHES AT KILAUEA
(KAUAI) ON JANUARY 24-25, 1956.

THE NATIONAL CLIMATIC EXTREMES COMMITTEE WILL BE CONVENED TO
REVIEW THE DATA AND GAGE SITE SPECIFICS. THE COMMITTEE WILL
DETERMINE DATA VALIDITY AND POTENTIALLY CERTIFY THE REPORT AS A
NEW NATIONAL RECORD. IT IS NOT KNOWN AT THIS TIME HOW LONG THE
CERTIFICATION PROCESS WILL TAKE.

THE RAIN GAGE IS OPERATED BY THE WAIPA FOUNDATION WHICH IS A NON-
PROFIT ORGANIZATION. DATA FROM THE GAGE ARE NOT TELEMETERED FOR
REAL-TIME DISPLAY AND ARE USED FOR WATERSHED MODELING AND
MONITORING STUDIES."

[PaulW]

Amazing, 4 feet of rain!

[Mangosteen]

Amazing amount of rain, but no where near the world record for a 24 hour period.

Reunion Island received 71.2 inches of rain over 24 hours during a hurricane in 1966, but the islands worst experience was in January, 1980 when an astounding 223.5 inches fell during a 10 day period as another hurricane meandered around the area and wouldn't leave.

Imagine what Hilo would look like after 223.5 inches of rain over such a short period of time!

[Amrita]

Backyard measurements for middle OLE at 475 ft. elevation. We are on track for the second wettest first four months since we at home started keeping daily records Jan. 1 2003. With 2 days to go including today we are at 75.75 inches YTD. That beats 2008 at 73.425 inches thru April but is far short of 2004 when we had 86.075 inches thru April. February 2004 did it then as we had 37.25 inches that month alone, 19.8 inches in one 24 hour period with cloud to ground lightning all night.

My non-expert understanding is that in La Nina Years it may be wetter here? La nina is waning apparently.

http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/analysi...disc.shtml

[TomK]

La Nina may have something to do with the weather but this is certainly a very unusual year and more rain is expected next week. Whether it's weather or climate is too early to say, but it's a very unusual winter/spring.

[Durian Fiend]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mangosteen

Amazing amount of rain, but no where near the world record for a 24 hour period.

Reunion Island received 71.2 inches of rain over 24 hours during a hurricane in 1966, but the islands worst experience was in January, 1980 when an astounding 223.5 inches fell during a 10 day period as another hurricane meandered around the area and wouldn't leave.

Imagine what Hilo would look like after 223.5 inches of rain over such a short period of time!

---

I didn't believe it, had to look this up. And, it's true!

"According to NOAA's Hurricane Research Division, Réunion holds every world tropical cyclone rainfall record, from a 12-hour rain record of 45 inches in Tropical Cyclone Denise in 1966 to a truly phenomenal total 14 years later.

In mid-late January 1980, Tropical Cyclone Hyacinthe stalled near the island for about two weeks and dumped up to 239.49 inches, or almost 20 feet, of rain in 15 days."

But they don't hold the record for 48 hours. That was 98 inches in Cherrapunji, India- one of the consistently wettest places on earth with over 400 inches annually. Incredibly, they actually have a dry season given that much rainfall.

In Hilo, we're happy with the occasional dry spells. I don't want three months of dry.

[geochem]

Amrita, you haven't seen anything yet... I recall in the 80's a caller to the Myna Bird show telling everyone that his rain gauge had hit 59" for the month of March and with two days left, was wondering if he would see 60" for the month - that night we had a monstrous downpour and light show...

In the fall of 1980, we had a 24"/24 hr storm and through the rest of the week, rainfall totaled 96".

And the November 2000 storm with 24 hour totals of something like 27" in Hilo and 36" in Pahala. That one killed two hikers caught out on the lava flows during the storm - steamed them or asphyxiated them...

[Kapoho Joe]

The abundance of steam likely asphyxiated them. Similar to what befell the tour guide who passed recently.