NWS: Torrential rain on Kauai could break national record

HANALEI, KAUAI (HawaiiNewsNow) - The torrential rain that devastated parts of Kauai earlier this month could soon break the record for the most rainfall in American history, the National Weather Service said on Wednesday.

Preliminary data from a rain gauge indicated that the north shore of Kauai got nearly 50 inches of rainfall over the 24-hour period between April 14 and April 15, ending at 12:45 p.m.

If certified, the amount of rain would break the current record of 43 inches in Alvin, Texas in July 1979, along with the Hawaii record of 38 inches at Kilauea, Kauai in January 1956.

The heavy rain – which triggered widespread flooding and damage to communities like Hanalei and Wainiha -- had already shattered previous records for those north shore locations.

"The possibility of this record-breaking data is jaw-dropping," said Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., in a news release. "It puts into perspective everything we've been working on, and I cannot say thank you enough to our entire island for working diligently to recover from the worst disaster we've experienced in decades."

The National Climatic Extremes Committee will review the data to confirm if this is a new national record.

This story will be updated.