Alert archive / Hawaii / Tsunami Watches in 2012

Tsunami Watch 1, NWS HEB

August 31, 20124 counties in Hawaii

NWS HEB issued this tsunami watch at Aug 31, 2012, 2:57 AM HST for 4 counties in Hawaii. It was in force for 35 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 31, 2012, 2:57 AM HST (12:57 UTC)
Expired
Aug 31, 2012, 3:32 AM HST
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS HEB

Counties Hawaii County, HI, Honolulu County, HI, Kalawao County, HI, Kauai County, HI

The radar

The Molokai radar (PHMO), 38 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:00 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Lihue, (PHLI), launched 12:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 214 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lihue, at 12:00Z on 2012-08-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 231 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Lihue, at 12:00Z on 2012-08-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 8 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
231 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-82 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
730 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
8 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
51 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

658 
WEHW40 PHEB 311258
TSUHWX
HIZ001>003-005>009-012>014-016>021-023>026-311458-
/O.CAN.PHEB.TS.W.0001.000000T0000Z-000000T0000Z/
/O.NEW.PHEB.TS.A.0001.120831T1257Z-000000T0000Z/
 
BULLETIN
TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER   1
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
257 AM HST FRI AUG 31 2012
 
TO - CIVIL DEFENSE IN THE STATE OF HAWAII
 
SUBJECT - TSUNAMI WATCH
 
A TSUNAMI WATCH IS ISSUED FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII EFFECTIVE AT
0257 AM HST.
 
AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS
 
   ORIGIN TIME - 0248 AM HST 31 AUG 2012
   COORDINATES - 10.9 NORTH  127.1 EAST
   LOCATION    - PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
   MAGNITUDE   - 7.9  MOMENT
 
EVALUATION
 
 BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA A TSUNAMI MAY HAVE BEEN GENERATED BY
 THIS EARTHQUAKE THAT COULD BE DESTRUCTIVE ON COASTAL AREAS EVEN
 FAR FROM THE EPICENTER. AN INVESTIGATION IS UNDERWAY TO DETERMINE
 IF THERE IS A TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII.
 
 IF TSUNAMI WAVES IMPACT HAWAII THE ESTIMATED EARLIEST ARRIVAL OF
 THE FIRST TSUNAMI WAVE IS
 
                     1228 PM HST FRI 31 AUG 2012
 
MESSAGES WILL BE ISSUED HOURLY OR SOONER AS CONDITIONS WARRANT.
 
$$
1 follow-up statement
166 
WEHW40 PHEB 311332
TSUHWX
HIZ001>003-005>009-012>014-016>021-023>026-311532-
/O.CAN.PHEB.TS.A.0001.000000T0000Z-000000T0000Z/
 
BULLETIN
TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER   2
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
331 AM HST FRI AUG 31 2012
 
TO - CIVIL DEFENSE IN THE STATE OF HAWAII
 
SUBJECT - TSUNAMI WATCH CANCELLATION
 
THE EARTHQUAKE MAGNITUDE IS REDUCED.
 
THE TSUNAMI WATCH IS CANCELLED FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII EFFECTIVE
AT 0331 AM HST.
 
AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS
 
   ORIGIN TIME - 0248 AM HST 31 AUG 2012
   COORDINATES - 10.9 NORTH  127.1 EAST
   LOCATION    - PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
   MAGNITUDE   - 7.6  MOMENT
 
EVALUATION
 
 BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA THERE IS NO DESTRUCTIVE TSUNAMI
 THREAT TO THE STATE OF HAWAII. THEREFORE THE TSUNAMI WATCH FOR
 HAWAII IS CANCELLED.
 
 HOWEVER... SOME COASTAL AREAS IN HAWAII COULD EXPERIENCE SMALL
 NON-DESTRUCTIVE SEA LEVEL CHANGES AND STRONG OR UNUSUAL CURRENTS
 LASTING UP TO SEVERAL HOURS. THE ESTIMATED TIME SUCH EFFECTS
 MIGHT BEGIN IS
 
                     1228 PM HST FRI 31 AUG 2012
 
THIS WILL BE THE FINAL MESSAGE ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS
ADDITIONAL DATA ARE RECEIVED.
 
$$

Nearby

Tsunami Watches in Hawaii, 2012Every tsunami watch in 2012

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.