surroundings, don t take any chances at this time. reporter: chaos on roadways, now more like rivers. tourists here for a taste of paradise, seen wading through the heart of waikiki oh man. reporter: the honeymoon hot spot now a tangled mess winds are toppling trees, knocking out power to thousands the tree literally fell right before we stopped. you know, it is a great thing nobody got hurt. reporter: the threat of landslides top of mind after debris barreled down kauai slopes earlier this year. why are we seeing such significant rainfall in hawaii? this type of weather system tends to bring intense rainfall when you have deep tropical moisture interacting with our mountains and volcano summits, it really serves to wring out the moisture quickly. reporter: tonight, a state of emergency as hundreds flock ight, a state of emergency as hundreds flock there to commemorate
this is after blizzard warnings were posted just days ago for hawaii s highest elevations. we get our report tonight from nbc news correspondent emily ikeda. reporter: heart-stopping rescues in hawaii as sheets of rain drench the archipelago, five boys pulled from a river under the cover of darkness. the days-long rain event known as a kona lo, known for its nature, dumping two feet in maui in two days, 3 inches an hour in parts of oahu. pay attention to your surroundings and don t take chances at this time. reporter: chaos on roadways more like rivers. tourists here for a taste of paradise seen weighed through the heart of waikiki. oh, man. reporter: the honeymoon hot spot a tangled mess, knocking out power to thousands. whoa.