137
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$90.2M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Hawaii County, Hawaii: 137 recorded events between 1996 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #90 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Hawaii County, Hawaii: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Hawaii County is the 2010s, when 51 of the county's 137 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Hawaii County archive, flash flood makes up 14.3% of all recorded severe weather across 11 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #90 for this hazard and #3 within Hawaii, putting it in the 97.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Dec is the peak month for flash flood in Hawaii County with 36 recorded events, while Jun is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 11, 2011 | PAPAIKOU | 0 | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Feb 19, 2018 | HONOKAA | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 22, 2017 | HONOKAA | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 15, 2015 | HILO | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 20, 2012 | PAPAALOA | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 4, 2018 | KAMUELA | 0 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | MOUNTAIN VIEW | — | $200K |
| Mar 23, 2026 | HILO | — | $2.0M |
| Mar 14, 2026 | MAHUKONA | — | $5.0M |
| Mar 13, 2026 | GLENWOOD | — | $100K |
| Feb 7, 2026 | LAUPAHOEHOE | — | $0 |
| Nov 5, 2024 | AKAKA FALLS ST PARK | 0 | $100K |
| Sep 19, 2024 | KAILUA KONA | 0 | $1.0M |
| Aug 25, 2024 | MOUNTAIN VIEW | 0 | $3.0M |
| May 11, 2024 | KAWAIHAE | 0 | $0 |
| May 11, 2024 | HILO | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Hawaii County
- Heavy Rain 648
- Flood 89
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A woman attempted to cross fast-moving water that was knee-deep in a private driveway off Kahana Drive in Ahumoa near Honokaa on the Big Island of Hawaii. She was swept away and was found dead the next morning, Jan. 22.
Fire/rescue crews responded to a 5:50 p.m. alarm Monday (Sept 14) to Wailuku River Boiling Pots State Park for a missing swimmer.|A witness said he was swimming in the upper pond at Boiling Pots with a 62-year-old woman when both began to be pulled downstream by the fast-moving current. Both attempted to swim towards the river bank but the woman didn���t make it out.
A brief heavy shower over the eastern parts of the Big Island of Hawaii caused the Kawainui Stream to rise abruptly. Two individuals prawning in the stream bed were caught in the rapidly moving water. One man died as he was swept away, while a woman was injured as she held on to a large rock as the water rushed around her.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Hawaii County, Hawaii?
137 flash flood events are recorded in Hawaii County between 1996 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Hawaii County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Hawaii County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Hawaii County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Hawaii County, Hawaii.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/hawaii/hawaii-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.