“Turn around, don’t drown when encountering flooded roads,” the National Weather Service (NWS) warned on October 29, 2026, as heavy rainfall triggered flash flood warnings across East Maui and Hawaii island. The NWS added that most flood deaths happen in vehicles and urged people to be aware of their surroundings.
The NWS reported that Doppler radar detected rainfall rates of 1 to 3 inches per hour over the Hilo districts. These conditions led to flash flood warnings for several locations, including Hilo, Hawaiian Paradise Park, and Glenwood on Hawaii island, as well as East Maui. Other affected areas on Hawaii island included Kapaau, Honokaa, Honomu, Papaikou, Pepeekeo, Hakalau, Ninole, Laupahoehoe, and Mountain View. Global Incident Tracker rated the event as Moderate.
Strong Thunderstorms Bring Lightning and Wind to Hawaii
In addition to flooding, the NWS issued a special weather system warning for strong thunderstorms affecting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Volcano, Wood Valley, and Pahala. Forecasters warned that frequent cloud-to-ground lightning was occurring and that wind gusts up to 40 mph could blow around unsecured objects or knock down tree limbs. At 3:50 p.m., radar tracked a storm moving southeast at 5 mph, located 31 miles southwest of Hilo or 7 miles northeast of Wood Valley. The NWS advised people to seek shelter in buildings or vehicles, noting lightning can strike 10 miles from a storm.
The severe weather caused local disruptions in East Maui, where Hana High and Elementary School closed due to road closures and heavy rain. Maui emergency officials issued an evacuation warning for the Kipahulu District of Haleakala. In East Maui, rainfall rates reached 0.5 to 1.5 inches per hour, with the heaviest rain near Hana and Hamoa.
Weather Conditions Improve Across the State for Halloween
While the NWS noted that the rain has been beneficial overall, the HawaiiNewsNow First Alert Weather Team reported that heavy pockets of rain created minor flooding. By 7:18 p.m. on Thursday, the NWS stated there were no remaining watches, warnings, or advisories after the flash flood warnings for both islands expired.
Forecasters expect weather conditions to generally be fair across the state for Halloween, though scattered showers may persist in windward and mauka areas of the eastern end of the state. While Oahu and Kauai have already seen drier air, some localized downpours are possible for windward Hawaii island and East Maui through Friday. Breezy to locally strong trades are expected to return Sunday afternoon and continue into early next week.
Additional Flood Risks
Beyond the flash flood warnings, other areas faced potential flooding. Some improvement was anticipated for Hawaii Island and Maui County into Thursday night.
