The downpour, which dumped 2 to 4 inches of rain per hour, was highly localized.
Madison Nahooikaika in the background looking for items lost during the flooding, while in the foreground, her boyfriend, Nuutea Vanbastolaer, and a neighbor shovel out mud, in Haleiwa, Hawaii, on Saturday, March 21, 2026.
HONOLULU — Crews on Tuesday began evaluating damage from a surprise downpour that sent floodwaters raging through a neighborhood near downtown Honolulu — the latest bout in a series of storms and flooding that have pummeled the state over the past two weeks.OpenAI pulls the plug on Sora, the viral AI video app that sparked deepfake concernsin two decades when a storm Monday unleashed several inches of rain on the southern part of the island. Reddish-brown torrents gushed along roads in the Manoa Valley, a few miles east of downtown Honolulu, sweeping away parked cars and swamping much of the neighborhood. “I was shocked to see how much flash flooding there was in my area,” said resident Andrew Phomsouvanh, who recorded video of streets transformed into a confluence of rapids. “The water just keeps coming.” Natalie Aczon had gone to the drugstore to pick up some medication for her mother on Monday. By the time she left the store some 15 minutes later, water was roaring down the street next to the shopping center. “People came running out from Longs and one of the guys actually said, ‘That’s my white car.’ And it had elevated,” she said. The ferocity of Monday’s downpour even took National Weather Service meteorologists aback. They knew that lingering instability from a powerful winter storm system called a “Kona low” could yield more rain, but their models aren’t good at predicting how much moisture can remain in such systems, said forecaster Cole Evans.The downpour, which dumped 2 to 4 inches of rain per hour, was highly localized: One rain gauge in the upper part of the valley recorded 6 inches, while the airport a few miles away got just one-hundredth of an inch. In this satellite image provided by Vantor is a closer view of flooded fields and buildings, Monday, March 23, 2026, in neighborhoods near Waialua, Hawaii. The Kona low was moving off to the east, Evans said, and should not pose further risk of bursts like Monday’s. A flash flood was in effect for the eastern part of Maui. There were no immediate reports of deaths or serious injuries, but authorities said hundreds of homes on Oahu’s North Shore had been damaged by last week’s flooding, which came as heavy rains fell on soil already saturated by downpours from More than 230 people had to be rescued. The water pushed houses off their foundations, floated cars out of parking spots and left walls, floor and counters covered with thick, reddish volcanic mud. Evacuation orders covered 5,500 people north of Honolulu, and some residents fled on surfboards as water reached waist or chest high. Excavators place debris onto trucks at a roundabout turned debris triage point by residents after the flood in Waialua, Hawaii Monday, March 23, 2026. Farms around the state reported more than $9.4 million worth of damage as of Monday, according to a survey conducted by Agriculture Stewardship Hawaii, the Hawaii Farm Bureau and other organizations. Even before Monday, Gov. Josh Green said the cost of the storm could top $1 billion, including damage to airports, schools, roads, homes and a Maui hospital in Kula. He called it the state’s most serious since flooding since 2004, when floods in Manoa inundated homes and a University of Hawaii library. Green’s office said Tuesday he had submitted a major disaster declaration request to the Trump administration. This satellite image provided by Vantor shows storm sediment and mud going into the ocean after heavy rains, Monday, March 23, 2026, in neighborhoods near Waialua, Hawaii. Molly Pierce, a spokesperson for the Oahu Emergency Management Agency, said that in addition to volunteers and public workers who have been cleaning up, a contract company had arrived to begin collecting, sorting and removing large piles of debris. She called the storm system “extremely unusual” but that officials were cautiously optimistic Tuesday that the rains are finally ending. “Most of us have not seen something that just keeps going like this,” Pierce said. “We feel like we keep getting punched down. But we’ll keep getting back up.” This photo provided by Heather Nakahara shows a car submerged near a flooded home Saturday, March 21, 2026, after flooding in Waialua, Hawaii. Johnson reported from Seattle. Associated Press writer Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska, and Gabriela Aoun Angueira in San Diego contributed to this report.Hiker found dead after being reported missing on El Cajon Mountain east of LakesideThree San Diego warships carrying 2,500 Camp Pendleton Marines en route to Middle EastStricter San Diego hiring policy leaves 150 jobs unfilled as city prepares for budget cutsPadres plan to preserve Manny Machado as best they canA little-known tax break saves San Diego owners of historic homes tens of millions. The benefits aren’t equally shared. A little-known tax break saves San Diego owners of historic homes tens of millions. The benefits aren’t equally shared.
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