FLOOD ADVISORY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
756 AM HST SAT NOV 14 2009
HAWAII IN HAWAII COUNTY-
756 AM HST SAT NOV 14 2009
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HONOLULU HAS ISSUED A
* FLOOD ADVISORY FOR THE ISLAND OF HAWAII IN HAWAII COUNTY
* UNTIL 1045 AM HST
* AT 749 AM HST…RADAR SHOWED HEAVY RAIN MOVING ASHORE FROM HAMAKUA TO PUNA AND SOUTH TO WINDWARD PORTIONS OF KAU.
* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE ADVISORY INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO PEPEEKEO…PAHOA…OOKALA…MOUNTAIN VIEW… LAUPAHOEHOE… KEAAU…KAPOHO…HONOMU…HONOKAA…HAWAIIAN PARADISE PARK…HAWAIIAN BEACHES AND HAKALAU.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
STAY AWAY FROM STREAMS…DRAINAGE DITCHES AND LOW LYING AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING.
RAINFALL AND RUNOFF WILL ALSO CAUSE HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS DUE TO PONDING…REDUCED VISIBILITY AND POOR BRAKING ACTION.
DO NOT CROSS FAST FLOWING OR RISING WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE OR ON FOOT. TURN AROUND…DON/T DROWN.
A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT.
THIS ADVISORY MAY NEED TO BE EXTENDED BEYOND 1045 AM HST IF HEAVY RAIN PERSISTS.
BIG ISLAND NORTH AND EAST-
INCLUDING…HILO…VOLCANO…HONOKAA…KAMUELA
322 AM HST SAT NOV 14 2009
…HIGH SURF ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM HST THIS EVENING.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
330 AM HST SAT NOV 14 2009
Synopsis
Unsettled weather continues with locally heavy rains and thunderstorms possible through today. Strong trade winds will last through the weekend…along with above average rainfall. Rainfall will taper off a bit early next week…but will still likely remain higher than normal…especially for windward areas.
Discussion
Heavy showers and thunderstorms continue to pinwheel around the main Hawaiian Islands…affecting local waters for the most part but also moving across the islands from time to time. A weakening upper low about 300 miles west of Kauai has kept our airmass unstable…while east southeasterly winds continue to bring abundant moisture across the state. The focus of heavy showers and thunderstorms is near Kauai and Oahu this morning…with the heaviest activity across the Koolau Range of Oahu. Moderate to occasionally heavy showers also form across the mauka sections of Kauai from time to time. Lighter showers persist across windward and southeast sections of the Big Island. Satellite loop shows the surface low…now near 20n170w or about 700 miles west southwest of Kauai…continues moving west. The surface low has long since decoupled from the upper low…which has not moved much over the past 24 hours. This movement of the surface low away from the islands has allowed low level winds across local waters to back to almost a trade wind direction. The pressure gradient between the surface low and surface high pressure far north of the islands remains steep enough to support strong and gusty winds this morning…at or above small craft advisory criteria for the traditionally windy waters and channels.
Since heavy showers and thunderstorms remain close by…we assess the flood threat to be high enough to continue the flash flood watch through this afternoon. However…satellite loop shows that layered clouds have moved northeast of the big island…likely removing the moisture needed for snow on the big island summits. The winter weather advisory for the big island summits is therefore cancelled.
The upper low will drift slowly west over the weekend as it fills. Boundary layer moisture should remain abundant through today as well. As trades gradually swing to a more typical northeasterly direction…showers will become more terrain focused as topography takes over the main forcing mechanism. Trades will stay breezy and increase into next week with pops remaining higher than normal through the forecast period along windward zones.
Hilo Bay during the Tsunami Advisory (Photography by Baron Sekiya | Hawaii 24/7)
Ocean surges move through Hilo Bay at 3:15 p.m. over seven hours after an 8.0 magnitude earthquake rocked Samoa generated a tsunami there and pushed wave action to Hawaii. Photography by Baron Sekiya | Hawaii 24/7
Karin Stanton/Hawaii247 Contributing Editor
UPDATE 2:35 a.m. Wednesday, Sept 30
Hawaii breathed with relief Tuesday morning when authorities lifted a tsunami warning, triggered by an 8.0 magnitude earthquake off the Samoan islands.
Although it proved deadly in Samoa, the tsunami hardly made a ripple in Hawaii
County and state authorities issued the warning shortly after 8 a.m., but downgraded the threat before 10:30 a.m. Still, some precautions were made.
At least one school in West Hawaii cancelled classes, beaches were closed and some water activities and tours opted not to operate.
County beachers are expected to open Wednesday morning.
PAGO, PAGO, American Samoa - U.S. Coast Guard Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Team (SCAT) members from Coast Guard Sector Honolulu and Marine Safety Detachment American Samoa survey pollution and debris, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009. (U.S. Coast Guard photo/Petty Officer 3rd Class Luke Clayton)
Meanwhile, Samoan islands begin to deal with the aftermath of four tsunami waves crashing into the shores and racing up to a mile inland. The height of the waves was reported between 15 and 20 feet.
Reports coming from the area indicate entire villages were inundated and the death toll of 99 is likely to climb.
Power was out in and communication was hampered; rock slides covered roadways; and towns remain water-logged. Injuries number in the hundreds.
A handful of deaths also were reported in Tonga.
The quake was centered about 125 miles from Samoa, which is about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii and has a population of 180,000. It was about 120 miles from American Samoa, a U.S. territory that is home to 65,000 people. It was about 20 miles deep.
By Tuesday night, Hawaii Air and Army National Guard announced 86 medical, search and rescue, and communications specialists would be dispatched immediately to American Samoa.
A C-17 cargo jet is expected to leave from Hickam Air Force Base early Wednesday.
PAGO, PAGO, American Samoa - A Honolulu-based U.S. Coast Guard C-130 long-range search plane from Air Station Barbers Point arrives in Pago Pago, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009, to deliver aid and assess damage after a powerful earthquake and tsunami hit the U.S. territory. (U.S. Coast Guard photo/Petty Officer 3rd Class Luke Clayton)
A Coast Guard C-130 plane with FEMA officials and American Samoa Gov. Togiola Tulafono aboard left Honolulu on Tuesday afternoon.
—
UPDATE 6:25 p.m.
“It was inconvenient in that we closed the beaches,” said Bill Hanson, administrative office in Hilo. “We have to err on the side of caution. We did get one complaint about ‘why did you close the parks?’”
Hilo recorded a 0.5 foot rise in sea level, on top of about 3-4 foot waves.
Hanson said although county departments performed well, there is always room to improve and be more prepared.
“We did fairly well. There was some good cohesion,” Hanson said. “It was the real thing. At the last minute we got faked out, but we learn so much.”
In addition to the county parks, Kamehameha Schools close its Honaunau Preschool.
Warnings, watches, alerts
A tsunami warning was in effect for American Samoa, Samoa, Niue Island, the Wallis and Futuna Islands, the Tokelau atolls, the Cook Islands, Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Kermadec Islands, the Baker and Howland Islands, Jarvis Island, French Polynesia, the Palmyra Islands, Tonga and Fiji.
A tsunami watch was issued for Hawaii, Vanuatu, the Marshall Islands, Solomon Island, Johnston Island, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Wake Island, Midway Island and Pitcairn.
In New Zealand, a tsunami alert was issued by national Civil Defense, and the nation’s national emergency center was activated.
UPDATE 1:33 p.m.
The state civil defense said Hawaii will be under a tsunami advisory until at least 7 p.m., with wave heights up to 3 feet expected in some areas across the state.
The tsunami watch was issued at 8:05 a.m. and canceled at 10:23 a.m.
State harbors have been advised of unusual wave and current
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center is continuing to monitor the situation.
On the Big Island, Parks & Recreation Department chief Bob Fitzgerald said he had no reports of injury or problems related to the tsunami threat.
“The currents out there are pretty mean.We’ve closed all the beaches, basically letting nobody in the water,” he said. “We’ve closed all the gates, put up signs, whatever we can to tell people not to go in the water.”
Some campers also have been advised to leave county parks, he said.
Fitzgerald said he and his staff would call the police in an effort to protect anyone trying to get into the water.
It is not clear whether state parks also are closed, but Fitzgerald urged people to use caution and not try to swim, surf or paddle for the rest of Tuesday.
“I’m assuming the state followed our lead, but I can’t really speak for them,” he said. “I am sure they closed the water at Hapuna, though.”
UPDATE 1:15 p.m.
Mayor Billy Kenoi regularly spends Tuesdays in Kailua-Kona, but cancelled his schedule and returned to Hilo upon learning of the tsunami threat.
Kenoi and the rest of the county’s emergency services crew were based at Civil Defense.
UPDATE 1:10 p.m.
A tsunami threat following a 8.3 earthquake early Tuesday near American Samoa caused some concern across the Pacific, although Hawaii appears to have ducked disaster.
The county Civil Defense dropped a tsunami watch, but cautioned that tides, sea levels and wave activity could be ‘unusual’ through the rest of the day.
The threat did not stop the dedication of Hulihee Palace following $1.5 million renovations to repair damage from the October 2006 earthquakes.
Visitors also were enjoying a typical sunny day in Kailua-Kona.
Nearly 2,000 guests from the cruise ship Rapsody of the Seas strolled Alii Drive during their stop in Kona.
The captain announced there had a tsunami watch, but it had been cancelled, passengers said.
“At first we wondered if we should stay on the ship, but the captain said it was OK, so we decided to come ashore,” said Barbara Henderson, 71, of Darlington, England. “This is my first visit to the Pacific. We sure don’t thing like this at home.”
Her companion said she was enjoying the scenery, but also was excited to share she adventures with friends and family.
“It certainly gives us something to talk about when we get home.”
Ocean watchers at Kailua Pier were anticipating the surge, which was likely to occur between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Rumors earlier in the morning had a wave topping 10 feet slamming into West Hawaii.
By 10:30 a.m. the county Civil Defense Agency had cancelled the tsunami watch, but issued an advisory.
All Big Island beaches will remain closed through Wednesday.
Hawaii247 will update as new information becomes available.
—
UPDATED ( 10:42 a.m. 9/29/09)
Hawaii County Civil Defense is advising all residents to avoid shoreline areas due to the Tsunami Advisory in effect for the Hawaiian Islands. All beaches will be closed until tomorrow due to possible surges and unusual currents from the earthquake in Samoa.
BULLETIN
TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER 3
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
1023 AM HST TUE SEP 29 2009
TO – CIVIL DEFENSE IN THE STATE OF HAWAII
SUBJECT – TSUNAMI WATCH CANCELLATION…TSUNAMI ADVISORY IN EFFECT
THE TSUNAMI WATCH IS CANCELLED FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII EFFECTIVE AT 1023 AM HST AND A TSUNAMI ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT.
AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS
ORIGIN TIME – 0748 AM HST 29 SEP 2009
COORDINATES – 15.3 SOUTH 171.0 WEST
LOCATION – SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
MAGNITUDE – 8.3 MOMENT
MAGNITUDE – 8.0 RICHTER (MS)
MEASUREMENTS OR REPORTS OF TSUNAMI WAVE ACTIVITY
GAUGE LOCATION LAT LON TIME AMPL PER
——————- —– —— —– ————— —–
RAROTONGA CK 21.2S 159.8W 1951Z 0.47M / 1.5FT 08MIN
APIA UPOLU WS 13.8S 171.8W 1832Z 0.70M / 2.3FT 08MIN
PAGO PAGO AS 14.3S 170.7W 1812Z 1.57M / 5.1FT 04MIN
LAT – LATITUDE (N-NORTH, S-SOUTH)
LON – LONGITUDE (E-EAST, W-WEST)
TIME – TIME OF THE MEASUREMENT (Z IS UTC IS GREENWICH TIME)
AMPL – TSUNAMI AMPLITUDE MEASURED RELATIVE TO NORMAL SEA LEVEL.
IT IS …NOT… CREST-TO-TROUGH WAVE HEIGHT.
VALUES ARE GIVEN IN BOTH METERS(M) AND FEET(FT).
PER – PERIOD OF TIME IN MINUTES(MIN) FROM ONE WAVE TO THE NEXT.
EVALUATION
BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA A MAJOR TSUNAMI IS NOT EXPECTED TO STRIKE THE STATE OF HAWAII. HOWEVER SEA LEVEL CHANGES AND STRONG CURRENTS MAY OCCUR ALONG THE COAST THAT COULD BE A HAZARD TO SWIMMERS…BOATERS AND BEACHES. THEREFORE THE TSUNAMI WATCH FOR HAWAII IS CANCELLED BUT A TSUNAMI ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT.
THE ESTIMATED TIME SUCH EFFECTS MIGHT BEGIN IS
100 PM HST TUE 29 SEP 2009
UNLESS FURTHER INFORMATION IS RECEIVED THE ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL
700 PM HST TUE 29 SEP 2009
THIS WILL BE THE FINAL MESSAGE ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS ADDITIONAL DATA ARE RECEIVED.
Pacific Area Bulletin
TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 004
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 2136Z 29 SEP 2009
THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS…EXCEPT ALASKA…BRITISH COLUMBIA… WASHINGTON…OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.
… TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH CANCELLATION …
THE TSUNAMI WARNING AND/OR WATCH ISSUED BY THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER IS NOW CANCELLED FOR
AMERICAN SAMOA / SAMOA / NIUE / WALLIS-FUTUNA / TOKELAU / COOK ISLANDS / TONGA / TUVALU / KIRIBATI / KERMADEC IS / FIJI / HOWLAND-BAKER / JARVIS IS. / NEW ZEALAND / FR. POLYNESIA / PALMYRA IS. / VANUATU / NAURU / MARSHALL IS. / SOLOMON IS. / JOHNSTON IS. / NEW CALEDONIA / KOSRAE / PAPUA NEW GUINEA / HAWAII / POHNPEI / WAKE IS. / PITCAIRN / MIDWAY IS. / CHUUK / AUSTRALIA / MARCUS IS. / N. MARIANAS / GUAM / INDONESIA / ANTARCTICA / YAP
THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. ONLY NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE.
AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS
ORIGIN TIME – 1748Z 29 SEP 2009
COORDINATES – 15.3 SOUTH 171.0 WEST
DEPTH – 33 KM
LOCATION – SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
MAGNITUDE – 8.3
MEASUREMENTS OR REPORTS OF TSUNAMI WAVE ACTIVITY
GAUGE LOCATION LAT LON TIME AMPL PER
------------------- ----- ------ ----- --------------- -----
PAPEETE TAHITI 17.5S 149.6W 2123Z 0.11M / 0.4FT 10MIN
NUKUALOFA TO 21.1S 175.2W 2007Z 0.14M / 0.5FT 14MIN
PENRHYN CK 9.0S 158.1W 2102Z 0.08M / 0.3FT 04MIN
RAROTONGA CK 21.2S 159.8W 1951Z 0.47M / 1.5FT 08MIN
APIA UPOLU WS 13.8S 171.8W 1832Z 0.70M / 2.3FT 08MIN
PAGO PAGO AS 14.3S 170.7W 1812Z 1.57M / 5.1FT 04MIN
LAT - LATITUDE (N-NORTH, S-SOUTH)
LON - LONGITUDE (E-EAST, W-WEST)
TIME - TIME OF THE MEASUREMENT (Z IS UTC IS GREENWICH TIME)
AMPL - TSUNAMI AMPLITUDE MEASURED RELATIVE TO NORMAL SEA LEVEL.
IT IS ...NOT... CREST-TO-TROUGH WAVE HEIGHT.
VALUES ARE GIVEN IN BOTH METERS(M) AND FEET(FT).
PER - PERIOD OF TIME IN MINUTES(MIN) FROM ONE WAVE TO THE NEXT.
EVALUATION
SEA LEVEL READINGS INDICATE A TSUNAMI WAS GENERATED. IT MAY HAVE BEEN DESTRUCTIVE ALONG COASTS NEAR THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER. FOR THOSE AREAS – WHEN NO MAJOR WAVES ARE OBSERVED FOR TWO HOURS AFTER THE ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL OR DAMAGING WAVES HAVE NOT OCCURRED FOR AT LEAST TWO HOURS THEN LOCAL AUTHORITIES CAN ASSUME THE THREAT IS PASSED. DANGER TO BOATS AND COASTAL STRUCTURES CAN CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS DUE TO RAPID CURRENTS. AS LOCAL CONDITIONS CAN CAUSE A WIDE VARIATION IN TSUNAMI WAVE ACTION THE ALL CLEAR DETERMINATION MUST BE MADE BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES.
NO TSUNAMI THREAT EXISTS FOR OTHER COASTAL AREAS ALTHOUGH SOME MAY EXPERIENCE SMALL SEA LEVEL CHANGES. FOR ALL AREAS COVERED BY THIS CENTER…THE TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH ARE CANCELLED.
THIS WILL BE THE FINAL BULLETIN ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.
THE WEST COAST/ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER WILL ISSUE PRODUCTS FOR ALASKA…BRITISH COLUMBIA…WASHINGTON…OREGON…CALIFORNIA.
