Heavy rains break records

Heavy rains have pummeled the islands for the past few weeks. Serious flooding and landslides has caused millions of dollars in damage to homes, crops, and other property on several islands, and a dam breach on Kauai last Tuesday swept seven residents away. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the rainfall in many areas has been unprecedented. “Although the entire state has recieved some rain at some point through the event, the hardest hit areas through all the events have been Kauai, Windward Oahu, and East and southeast sides of the Big Island of Hawaii,” reads a statement from the service. “In some of these areas, especially on Kauai, the amount of rain has broken long standing records.” Kauai’s Mount Waialeale, said to be the wettest spot on Earth, saw 116.25 inches of rain in the past 30 days. That’s more rain in a month than that spot has seen since the NWS has kept such records.

Other rainfall numbers for the past 30 days are as follows (record levels in parenthesis where available):

• Kauai:
1. Mount Waialeale: 116.25″ (94.05″)
2. Waialua: 47.96″ (31.20)
3. Hanalei: 41.93″
4. Kapahi: 39.47″
5. Lihue Airport: 33.48″ (28.28″)
• Oahu:
1. Poamoho: 67.67″
2. Wilson Tunnel: 42.15″
3. Punaluu Pump: 39.90″ (56.17″)
4. Luluku: 38.21″
5. Waihee Pump: 35.30″
• Molokai:
1. Kamalo: 4.51″
2. Makapulapai: 3.78″
3. Kaunakakai Mauka: 2.92″
4. Molokai Airport: 1.73″
• Maui:
1. Kaupo Gap: 34.36″
2. West Wailuaiki: 33.56″
3. Hana Airport: 9.43″ (40.95″)
4. Kula: 6.42″
5. Haiku: 4.71″
• Big Island:
1. Glenwood: 49.32″
2. Waiakea Uka: 48.43″
3. Mountain View: 45.49″ (81.71″)
4. Piihonua: 43.99″
5. Hilo Airport: 30.54″ (58.48″)