National Weather Service
Just weeks after Oahu’s North Shore endured devastating floods brought on by a massive storm, the entire Aloha State is back under the threat of flooding after forecasters predicted a new weather disturbance. The National Weather Service announced this week that a flood watch would be in effect for all islands this week from Wednesday morning until Friday evening.
Back-to-back Kona lows brought an estimated $1 billion in damage to the state in March, leaving many Hawaiians still in the midst of recovery when news of the new April storm broke. According to HawaiiNewsNow, the state’s National Guard has assisted in clearing 2,851 cubic yards of debris from 151 homes and distributed more than 7,000 gallons of water to 622 North Shore residents. Now, another 200 guard soldiers and airmen have been called into action as of Tuesday in preparation for the incoming storm. But while all the islands are on flood watch this week, the highest rainfall totals this time are expected to hit the Big Island and Kauai.
A Kona Low northwest of Hawaii will pull deep tropical moisture across the islands this week.
Key Impacts:
⛈️ Flash Flooding: Heavy rain/T-storms likely.
💨 Strong Winds: Southerly gusts 40-50+ mph.
❄️ Summits: Freezing rain & snow.
Visit https://t.co/pGx1JRZdMa for the latest pic.twitter.com/6TkB5nHQJB— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) April 7, 2026
“Across the state, we’ve called on our citizen soldiers and airmen to be ready to assist first responders and protect our communities,” said Brig. Gen. Tyson Tahara, acting director of the Hawaii National Guard Joint Staff. “Vehicles and equipment are being staged statewide to ensure a swift response to the next storm.”
The Weather Channel explained that one of the dangers of a new storm is that flooding can be triggered more easily now that many areas have already been saturated with extreme rainfall in the past month.
“Honolulu, for example, has seen over a foot of rainfall since March 1, which is about six times over its average,” said the network’s Rob Shackleford. “And Kahului is even more impressive. It has seen over 20 inches since March 1 and is running about a foot and a half above normal in that time period.”
