UPDATE: Hawaii Blasted By Floods AGAIN. This One Is The Worst Yet

More cataclysmic flooding hit Hawaii over
the weekend. The flooding has been coming in
literal waves there all winter and early spring.

It seems like I'm posting about Hawaii and floods all the time, but they keep getting hammered. The latest round of flooding on Friday was the worst yet during this long, wet Hawaiian episode.   

This time the flooding focused most of its fury on Oahu. It is now said to be Hawaii's most severe in at least 20 years.  

As the Associated Press reported, "Muddy floodwater smothered vast stretches of Oahu's North Shore, a community world-renowned for its big wave surfing. Raging waters lifted homes and cars and prompted evacuation orders for 5,500 people north of Honolulu. Authors cautioned that a 120-year old dam could fail."

At last report, the water peaked behind the dam and was now receding, ending an immediate threat to collapse. However, more torrential rains here on the way, so the crisis is not over. 

About 230 people were rescued and 10 were hospitalized with hypothermia because they'd been in the water for so long. 

Gov. Josh Green said the cost of the storm could top $1 billion, including damage to airports, schools, roads, people's homes and a Maui hospital in Kula. "This is going to have very serious consequences for us as a state," Green said.

Crew searched by air and water, looking for people who had been stranded. But idiots have been getting in the way of that effort as they flew drones to get images of the flooding.  

The area affected was already sopping wet from previous ones when a new one swept in Friday,  dumping up 

The same stalled weather pattern that caused flooding last week contributed to this new round of deluges.  A massive heat dome that shattered March hot temperature records in the western and central states is still gumming up the works over the Pacific Ocean. 

I'll soon have another post on the incredible March heat in the Lower 48.

Last week's Kona low - a winter storm near Hawaii - was able to move on, but a stalled weather front helped unleash the torrents in Oahu. 

Another Kona low was meandering north of Hawaii today. It was drawing deep tropical moisture into Hawaii, raising the risk of more flooding today. As of this morning, the heaviest showers were focusing in and around Maui. 

Starting tomorrow, the Hawaiian islands will start transitioning toward a more normal pattern of easterly trade winds. Showers will continue in parts of the islands that normally see showers, but it won't be anything unusual. Everybody in Hawaii is hoping they can final start getting back to normal.