Flash Flood — Tutuila, American Samoa

2025-05-09 to 2025-05-10 · near Vaitogi, Tutuila, American Samoa

Event narrative

An NWS employee reported considerable flash flooding along Fagaima Road, Route 019, in the early morning hours on the 10th. Water over 6 inches high rushed violently from west to east along the roadway. Considerable damage was reported on the road with large chunks of asphalt taken away from the road and large amounts of water puddled onto properties along the road. Estimated rainfall was 6 inches in 3 hours between 9 PM and 12 AM.

Wider weather episode

From May 5th through May 9th, a ridge from the south of the islands interacted with an equatorial trough to the north. This created high winds on the 6th through the 8th with gusts reaching around 55 mph at WSO Pago Pago. Total rainfall recorded at WSO Pago Pago was 12.62 inches during this time, including 4.93 inches which fell from 8:50 PM SST to 11:50 PM SST on the 9th. High winds also created minor coastal flooding and erosion along the southern and eastern coast lines. As American Samoa received well above average rainfall throughout the year along with this event, landslides occurred along some parts of the islands.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (-14.3236, -170.7316)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1246695. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.