The hawaii storm is now defined by two simultaneous crises: flash-flood and wind threats shifting toward Maui County and Hawaii Island, and a grid repair effort slowed by damaged transmission infrastructure, flooding, and access problems that have left tens of thousands without electricity into the weekend.
What is changing hour by hour in the Hawaii Storm?
Weather officials described a large Kona storm moving north of the state while pulling deep tropical moisture and heavy rain over all islands, with an extended period of flash flooding, damaging winds, and strong thunderstorms expected as the system extends east into Maui County and Hawaii Island through most of Saturday evening (ET).
Flood Watch timing has begun to diverge by island. The Flood Watch has ended for Kauai. It is scheduled to end for Oahu Saturday night (ET). The Flood Watch remains in effect for Maui County and Hawaii Island into Sunday (ET). The same outlook flags multiple hazards occurring at once: significant flash flooding, damaging winds, strong to severe thunderstorms, and snow and ice over the highest Big Island summits.
Through Saturday afternoon (ET), thunderstorms are expected over the eastern half of the state. The initial band of thunderstorms could stall over eastern Maui Saturday afternoon and evening (ET), while pop-up and scattered thunderstorms are expected for Hawaii Island. Forecasters also noted that strong south winds are expected throughout Saturday (ET) for Hawaii Island, with models hinting at higher rainfall totals for the Kona side of Hawaii Island. The main rainband is expected to remain nearly stationary over Maui County and Hawaii Island, intensifying the flood threat where heavy rain persists.
Overnight (ET), thunderstorms are expected to continue, and the stalled band could remain between Maui and Hawaii Island, worsening flooding risk. Even as the flooding threat decreases for Kauai and Oahu through Sunday (ET), officials cautioned that saturated ground means additional rainfall can trigger quick runoff and flash flooding, including from individual pop-up storms. Flash flooding and breezy southwest winds are still expected for Maui County and Hawaii Island on Sunday (ET), potentially extending into Monday (ET) for Hawaii Island.
Why are power outages persisting as the Hawaii Storm moves through?
Power restoration efforts continued statewide while crews worked on widespread storm damage tied to the Kona-low system. Hawaiian Electric Co. said about 114, 000 customers remained without power statewide as of 5 p. m. (ET), even after more than 186, 000 customers had electricity restored earlier in the day.
On Oahu, about 70, 000 customers remained without electricity while crews assessed damage to high-voltage transmission lines carrying power from Leeward Oahu over the Koʻolau ridgeline to Windward Oahu and East Honolulu. Utility a helicopter was used to inspect storm-damaged transmission infrastructure along the mountain ridgeline, and warned that repairs could take hours to days or longer because crews must navigate mountainous terrain.
The utility said it is prioritizing major transmission equipment that can restore electricity to the largest number of customers before moving on to smaller neighborhood outages. Jim Alberts, senior vice president and chief operations officer at Hawaiian Electric, described the sequencing: “There are smaller outages within large outages, and we’ll circle back on the neighborhood-level work once we can get the large transmission lines back online. ”
Across Maui County, about 15, 700 customers remained without power, with the hardest-hit areas including Upcountry, South, Central and East Maui. Repair work in some locations has been slowed by flash flooding, downed trees, and road closures. Utility officials also cited a major sinkhole in South Maui that blocked access for repair crews.
On Hawaii Island, about 28, 300 customers were still without power, with most outages concentrated in Puna, North and South Kona, North Kohala, and South Hilo. The utility said more than 47, 000 customers on the island had power restored earlier in the day, but warned that hazardous weather, flooding, and blocked roads continue to slow restoration statewide and could keep some communities without power overnight (ET). Residents were urged to prepare for the possibility of extended outages through the remainder of the weekend (ET) as the Kona-low continues moving through the state.
Where the two emergencies collide: flooding risk, access constraints, and a stressed grid
Verified fact: Weather officials expect a prolonged flash-flood threat and damaging winds while the heaviest rain shifts east toward Maui County and Hawaii Island, with some bands potentially stalling. Verified fact: Utility officials say flooding, downed trees, road closures, and difficult terrain are slowing repair work, including access blocked by a sinkhole in South Maui and inspections needed along the Koʻolau ridgeline.
Informed analysis (clearly labeled): These conditions can reinforce each other operationally. When thunderstorms persist and a main rainband remains nearly stationary, road access and safe working conditions can deteriorate quickly. That slows assessments and repairs of major transmission routes, which the utility says must be restored first to bring back power to the largest number of customers. The result is a feedback loop: the longer hazardous conditions last, the longer it can take to reach and repair the backbone infrastructure needed for large-area restoration.
For residents, that overlap translates into compounding disruption. The Flood Watch continuing into Sunday (ET) for Maui County and Hawaii Island comes as tens of thousands of customers across the state remained without electricity as of 5 p. m. (ET). Officials have also warned that, even where Flood Watches are ending, saturated ground increases the chance of rapid runoff and flash flooding from additional rainfall.
The hawaii storm is still unfolding across weather and power systems at the same time, leaving the public reliant on clear timelines, transparent prioritization of major transmission fixes, and ongoing updates as conditions shift east and hazards persist into the weekend (ET).
