Flooding Again, Dam Break in Hawaii
I've been watching the Hawaii radar filled with rain for the last week and I really should have blogged about this sooner. Last night, the Kaloko Dam failed (Honolulu Advertiser) | (USA Today). You can see more photos here.
In this photo made Tuesday, March 14, 2006, by the Kauai county government, Morita Reservoir is seen. An earthen dam burst on Kauai on Tuesday, sending a 50-foot wave into the Pacific Ocean, sweeping away at least two houses and washing out the only road along the island's north shore. One person was killed and as many as seven others were reported missing. Authorities tried to drain the Morita reservoir to relieve the pressure on that dam. (AP Photo/Kauai county government)
HAWAII RADAR AT 9AM (LIVE | PREMIUM | PRO)
The National Weather Service lists some incredible rainfall amounts (I only show the ones over 10 inches below):
YET ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM HAS PRODUCED HEAVY RAINS ACROSS THE STATE OF HAWAII. RUNOFF FROM THIS LATEST ROUND OF RAINFALL HAS PRODUCED MORE FLOODING AND CONTRIBUTED TO THE FAILURE OF KALOKO DAM ON THE ISLAND OF KAUAI. THE FOLLOWING ARE 5-DAY RAIN TOTALS AS OF 8
AM HST TUESDAY:
MOUNT WAIALEALE, HI: 25.16"
POAMOHO #2, HI: 11.25"
GLENWOOD #2, HI: 10.90"
LIHUE AIRPORT, HI: 10.66"
HANALEI RIVER, HI: 10.64"
WAILUA EXPERIMENT STN, HI: 10.14"
The Doppler-Estimated precipitation image below shows over 15 inches of rain in two days, but it may be inaccurate due to mountains, which can exaggerate the rain accumulation, or mountain "shadows" which can miss rainfall.
Unfortunately, the deluge is expected to continue through the weekend.
RELATED BLOG ENTRY MARCH 4, 2006:
