Hawaii, 1996

High Wind in Hawaii, December 7 to 8, 1996

December 7 to 8, 1996 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Strong northerly winds of 35 to 45 mph with gusts estimated as high as 60 mph accompanied the gradient associated with a large high pressure area to the northwest of the state and a deepening low pressure center several hundred miles to the northeast of Hawaii.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.

Strong northerly winds of 35 to 45 mph with gusts estimated as high as 60 mph accompanied the gradient associated with a large high pressure area to the northwest of the state and a deepening low pressure center several hundred miles to the northeast of Hawaii.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Island of Hawaii

When
December 7, 10:00 AM HST to December 8, 6:00 PM HST
Where
Island of Hawaii forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several trees and branches knocked down a few power lines in the South Kohala and North and South Kona Districts. Two power poles snapped and sparked a brush fire that burned 1 acre of state land in Kona Palisades. A pole was also downed at Spencer Beach Park, causing power outages at several hotels.

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Hawaii in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, December 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5583482.