Needs updating post Harvey.
Harvey didn't break the One Day Record.
https://mashable.com/2018/04/26/kauai-24-hour-rainfall-record/#8YPzEMaWRZqZA devastating flash flood event in mid-April caused widespread damage on the lush Hawaiian island of Kauai. Now comes word that during the 24-hour period between April 14 and 15, a staggering 49.69 inches of rain fell at a rain gauge about 1 mile west of Hanalei.
If this amount is verified by the National Climatic Extremes Committee, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and serves as a sort of Guinness Book of World Records for weather and climate, it would be the heaviest 24-hour rainfall total ever recorded in the U.S.
The current record is 43 inches, set on July 25-26, 1979, in Alvin, Texas. It would also crush the state record of 38 inches, which was also set in Kauai, back in 1956.
The committee members will review the rain gage to determine if it was functioning properly at the time of the rainstorm. This particular gage is operated by a nonprofit organization called the WAIPA Foundation. It's possible that the committee will conclude that the amount of rain was actually less than recorded, or conversely, that it underestimated the rainfall total.
It's not surprising that a national rainfall record would come from Kauai, since it's rugged terrain contains some of the wettest landscapes on Earth. Mt. Waialeale, for example, receives about 460 inches of rain per year, and is the wettest place in the country.