Flash Flood — Tutuila, American Samoa

2025-10-22 · near Vaitogi, Tutuila, American Samoa

Event narrative

An NWS employee reported flash flooding near American Samoa Community College, with water intruding into buildings due to heavy rainfall and inadequate storm water drainage. Grounds were saturated from recent rainfall, exacerbating runoff issues.

Wider weather episode

On October 21'22, a subtropical high-pressure system to the south and a near-equatorial ridge to the north combined to enhance a trough over the American Samoa islands. This setup resulted in 6.26 inches of rainfall at WSO Pago Pago over a 48-hour period. With soils already saturated from well-above-average October rainfall and widespread poor stormwater drainage across the territory, impacts were significantly exacerbated. The event led to widespread flash flooding and landslides throughout American Samoa.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (-14.3225, -170.7424)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1298730. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.