A downpour that lashed Maui on Tuesday morning sent water pooling in the muddied roadways on the eastern side of the island, in what was expected to be the last gasp of a storm system that has brought catastrophic flooding across Hawaii.
A chance of rain remained across the eastern part of the state on Tuesday, and some flood watches were in place on Maui and the Big Island through the evening. But sunshine was finally returning to the waterlogged islands of Oahu and Kauai. Forecasters expected the system to exit the region completely by Wednesday.
Since February, multiple storm systems have led to an unusually wet period that has devastated several communities. The governor, Josh Green, said the storm damage has totaled at least $1 billion.
The amount of rain that has fallen in Hawaii during the past few weeks can be difficult to track. Totals across the islands can highly vary because of their complex topography. A mountaintop might receive two feet of rain in a single storm, while a beach nearby may get only a few inches. But experts agree that these have been one of the state’s rainiest periods in recent memory.
The National Weather Service office in Honolulu said it was still assessing the recent rainfall to determine where the storms’ totals fall within its records, but a few measurements help tell the story. Hana, a town on Maui’s eastern coast, has recorded over 40 inches of rain since Feb. 1. This is the highest amount ever measured in this time span.
The weather gauge at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu has recorded nearly 16 inches of rain, making it the fourth-rainiest period within the same time frame. Records at the airport date back to 1941.
Some of the most intense rainfall was recorded from March 10 to 16, when a widespread system, known to local meteorologists as a kona low, brought well over two feet of rain to many locations. The most drenched places received over four feet. The rain hit the southern parts of Maui and the Big Island the hardest during this period. Soggy hillsides collapsed onto roads and rivers of rain ravaged homes and business.
The ground across the islands was saturated with rainwater before the next storm arrived on Thursday, causing the rain to gush and stream down streets. Residents of Waialua on the North Shore of Oahu were forced to evacuate their homes as floodwaters inundated the area and threatened to overwhelm a local dam. Emergency crews on Oahu rescued more than 200 people, according to the Department of Emergency Management. On Maui, floodwaters destroyed properties in the town of Kihei. Massive amounts of snow have fallen atop the two highest peaks, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea on the Big Island. The winds have also been notable this season; those of the last storm reached more than 100 miles per hour on the highest altitudes.
Kona lows are named for their winds that affect the leeward (“kona” in Hawaiian) sides of the islands. With the storm on its way out, the more typical trade winds are expected to gradually return.
“More pleasant weather is on the way,” said Alex Gibbs, a meteorologist with the Weather Service office in Honolulu.
Amy Graff is a Times reporter covering weather, wildfires and earthquakes.
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